Phoenix Wright: Ace Daddy To Be
by Kitty Sneeze
Summary: Phoenix accidentally gets Maya pregnant... how will they cope with becoming parents? NEW epilogue
1. A Drunken Night

"Ewww! I didn't know food could even taste this gross, man!" Larry yelped, spitting out a mouthful of lobster-flavoured mush onto his plate.

"Larry!" Phoenix hissed, "Don't make an idiot of yourself! The chef is right over there!"

Jean Armstrong's eyes welled up with tears.

"Pardon moi, monsieur! I did not mean for my cooking to offend!" He took Larry's plate and rushed off to the kitchen, crying. Maggey appeared moments later with a tray of drinks.

"Um… did something happen to upset Mr Armstrong?" she asked, "He's sobbing into his favourite apron."

"Ahaha… no idea!" said Larry, taking a drink and slurping it down. A few drops slid down his chin and onto the lacy tablecloth.

Edgeworth glared. "Larry, must you drink so… filthily?"

"He's always been like that," said Phoenix, "Once the Butz, always the Butz!"

Larry started slurping noisily at the cup, trying to get out the last few drops.

"Larry, stop doing that!" said Maya, "It's really annoying!"

"Sorry, Maya, cutie," he said, wiping his chin with the back of his hand, "I'll give up any of my habits for you, y'know!" He grinned at her.

"Um… thanks, I guess…" she said.

Meanwhile, Franziska was sat on the edge of her chair, being careful not to touch anything.

"Are you OK, sir?" asked Gumshoe, "You look a bit… tense, pal."

She cracked her whip at him. "How many times have I told you not to called me pal! And I'm fine, actually, I just don't want any of the dirt from this foolish restaurant to rub off on my perfect attire."

"Hey, it's pretty clean," said Maggey, setting down a plate of refreshments on the crowded table and sitting on a spare seat next to Gumshoe, "I should know, I washed it this morning!"

"You're so hard working, Maggey," said Gumshoe, gazing lovingly at his girlfriend, who he still couldn't believe was actually dating him.

"Thanks, sir!" she said putting an arm around his shoulder, "Compliments like that mean so much to me when you're saying them!"

Phoenix leant over to Maya. "Don't you think it's a little weird that Maggey and Gumshoe are dating now, but she still calls him 'sir'?" he whispered.

"Yeah, that is strange," she said, "Maybe it's some kind of kinky thing they have going on?"

"What is kin-kee?" asked Pearl, nibbling her thumb.

"It's… uh… a grown up thing," said Phoenix quickly, "For people who are… 'special someones'."

"Oh, right," said Pearl, seeming to understand now.

Half an hour later, the rowdy party had stuffed their faces with as much of the peculiar menu as they could bring themselves to taste.

"Hey, guys… whatd'ya say we all hit the town, go to some clubs and bars and stuff?" said Larry, "Nick just won a case, we might as well have a good time!"

"Sounds good," said Phoenix. He hated to agree with Larry, but he hasn't been out on the town for months now and he needed some time to let go and maybe get a bit drunk, "Are you coming, Edgeworth?"

"I… I couldn't possibly," he said, looking down his nose at Larry and Phoenix, "Those sorts of activities are far below my usual-"

"I'm in!" boomed Gumshoe suddenly, "Maggey too, her shift ends in five minutes!" He nudged Edgeworth. "Come on, pal, let you hair down for once! You too, Miss Von Karma!"

"It's settled then!" said Larry, "Let's go!" He got up, grabbing Phoenix and Edgeworth and dragging them after him.

"W-wait!" Edgeworth protested, "I have no intention of-"

He was silenced by a monumental crash as Detective Gumshoe got up a little too forcefully and sent the whole table flying to the floor.

"What eez going on?" Jean Armstrong cried in horror, rushing out from the kitchen to survey the messy scene.

"I'm sorry, pal!" said Gumshoe apologetically, "I'm such a klutz sometimes…"

"I'll clean it up tomorrow, Mr Armstrong," said Maggey quickly, "Is it OK if I go out with my friends now?"

"I… suppose so, Maggey. But please, be here early tomorrow!" He sighed at the collapsed table and the heap of plates on the floor.

Larry pulled Phoenix and Edgeworth outside into the cool evening air, with the others trailing behind.

They stopped in front of the two cars they had used to get there; Edgeworth's shiny red sports car and Detective Gumshoe's battered old vehicle.

"Wait a second Nick," said Maya, holding Pearl's hand, "You'd better drop me and Pearly off at your flat. It's too late for us to get back to Kurain, but we can't take Pearly out with us!"

"Oh yeah," said Phoenix, only just remembering that Pearl was nine years old, "Um… but I kinda wanted you to come too Maya. Can't Pearls look after herself, just for a few hours until we get back?"

Maya looked at Pearl doubtfully. "She's only a little girl… and I should probably rest after all the crazy stuff that's happened today…"

"Please, Maya?" he said, "It just wouldn't be the same without you!"

Pearl squeezed Maya's hand. "It's alright, Mystic Maya. I can take care of myself for a little while. You should go out and have fun with your special someone!" She smiled happily at Phoenix and Maya.

"I… I guess it wouldn't hurt to go out for a bit," she agreed, "Fine, let's drop Pearly off, and then we'll get going!"

Edgeworth unlocked his car and opened the driver's seat door. "Alright, since I clearly have no choice in the matter, who wants to ride in my car?"

"I shall," Franziska declared, "I'm not travelling in that foolish fool's excuse for a fool-mobile." She flashed a deathly glare at Gumshoe's faded brown car, looking sad and sorry for itself next to Edgeworth's flashy model.

"Well, there are three seats in the back… how about Wright, Maya and Pearl ride with me?" Edgeworth suggested, wanting to make sure there was no room for Larry.

"Yay! We get to go in the nice car!" said Maya. "No offence, Gumshoe," she said quickly, as the Detective's face fell.

"Edgey, meet us at the Blue Bar once you've taken my cutie Pearl home, OK?" said Larry.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," Edgeworth said, "And please don't call me 'Edgey'."

Maya, Pearl and Phoenix clambered in to the row of three spotless leather seats, while Franziska daintily let herself into the front seat. Edgeworth got in beside her.

"So, the first stop is Wright's apartment?"

"Yep," said Phoenix, "You know where it is, right?"

"Erm… yes," said Edgeworth. Franziska gave him a look of confusion.

"Why on earth do you know the location of this fool's foolish abode?"

"I had to pick up some case files once," Edgeworth explained, going red, "It's not like I'd visit him out of choice."

Franziska raised an eyebrow but said no more.

"This is a lovely car, Mister Edgeworth," Pearl piped up, "The seats have such a nice material! What sort of a material is it?"

"It's called 'leather', Pearls," said Phoenix, admiring the car's expensive upholstery for himself.

"Oh, I think I've heard of that one before. Leh-ther," she said, "Where does leather come from? Is it spun by silkworms, like silk is?"

"It's actually made of-" Phoenix began, but Maya kicked him hard in the leg.

"It's… uh… given to us by nature, Pearly," she explained. She leant close to Nick. "She'll get upset if she knows it's cow skin," she whispered softly.

"Ah," he nodded in understanding.

The car drew to a halt, the smooth purr of its engine dropping into silence. "Here we are," Edgeworth announced.

"Come on Pearly, we're home now." Maya opened the side down and helped Pearl out.

"Thank you for driving me, Mister Edgeworth!" said Pearl with a little wave.

"You're very welcome," he said, his usually serious face breaking into a smile. Phoenix got out the other side and escorted Maya and Pearl into the block of flats.

Franziska smirked. "I didn't know you had a soft spot for children, Miles Edgeworth," she said.

"Just because you're icy cold all of the time, Franny, doesn't mean I am." He reached a finger up to her pale face, tracing his fingertip down her cheekbone. She slapped him away.

"Not here."

Her face remained still and stony as a statue. Miles loved trying to break that perfect stare, and uncover the deeper, more emotional side to Franziska; but it wasn't an easy barrier to get past.

"You know, I'm surprised at you," he said, his voice as sweet as honey.

"And why is that?"

"You haven't raised one objection to this night out," said Edgeworth, "I'd have thought you'd have insisted to be taken home by now."

"Hmph," she said, folding her arms, "Aren't I allowed to participate in the fun once in a while?"

He looked shocked. "You mean, you actually like the idea of going clubbing with Larry and co?"

"Everyone needs to relax once in a while," she argued, a small smile playing on her lips, "Even the most perfect of us."

Edgeworth grinned, happy to have revealed part of her more fun-loving side – a side that he didn't often see. He lightly touched her hand.

"I love it when you smile, Franny."

She turned to face him. "Stop trying to be romantic, Miles Edgeworth. You know it won't get anywhere, not with me."

"But it does," he replied, "Remember when I cooked dinner for you, two weeks ago?" He leaned in closer to her, his breath touching her face. "Remember how overcome with passion we were that night? Remember what we did?"

Franziska pouted.

"And you're so cute when you pout," he murmured. He softly turned her head and kissed her pouting lips. Immediately she shoved him away.

"Don't do that!" she said angrily, "Not here! What if someone saw? Nobody is supposed to know about us!"

Edgeworth chuckled. "Franziska, do you see anyone around who could be watching? Any hidden cameras?" He paused, gesturing the empty scene outside the car windows. "We're alone."

He kissed her again, his hand creeping down her back, the other winding into her smooth hair. This time made no move to push him away; instead she relaxed into his warm embrace, letting his lips push against hers. He moved, tracing his mouth across her cheek, lining her neck with kisses. Franziska tugged him closer. Despite her usually unbreakable self control, she found one of her hands slipping under his shirt to brush against the warm, soft skin of his stomach.

While Franziska and Edgeworth were passionate embracing in the car, Phoenix and Maya were just saying goodbye to Pearl.

"Remember, if you need anything, our mobile numbers are written on her," Maya said, pointing to the piece of paper on the small table by Pearl's makeshift bed on the sofa.

"You know where the food and drinks are," said Phoenix, "Help yourself if you want anything."

"But mother said I mustn't eat after bedtime!" said Pearl, looking worried.

"Well… it's a special night, because Nick won a case," said Maya, "So you can have special treats tonight, OK?"

"Alright, Mystic Maya," said Pearl, "Should I eat lots and have a feast, so I can be big like you?"

"Um… maybe not today, Pearly."

"Are you ready, Maya? We need to get going," said Phoenix, fiddling with his door key.

"Yep, let's go!" She kissed Pearl on the forehead. "Be good, OK? If you get frightened, give me a call and I'll be right back."

"And there are chocolate biscuits in the cupboard," Phoenix added, "Your favourite kind."

"Yay! Have a nice time, you two!" Pearl waved at them as they walked out of the door, thinking what a lovely couple they were.

However, as soon as the door slammed shut behind her, she suddenly felt a tremble of fear.

She was home alone. For the first time ever.

Pearl gulped. This was going to be a long night.

Franziska leapt off of Edgeworth as soon as she spotted Phoenix and Maya opening the door of the block of flats. She hurriedly patted her ruffled hair back into place.

"Do I look alright?" she asked.

"Beautiful," said Edgeworth.

"Yes, fool, but do I look as if nothing happened?"

Edgeworth smiled, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Perfect." Franziska tucked the edge of his shirt in where it was hanging out and straightened his wonky cravat.

"There. If they ask what we did while they were gone, don't say a word," she instructed.

"I know, I know," he said, "Don't worry, Franny. I don't want our relationship out in the open yet, either."

"What do you mean, 'yet'?" she demanded, "You know that we can never let people find out! What would my father think of me?"

Edgeworth sighed.

The door clicked open and Maya and Phoenix got in.

"I hope Pearly will be OK," said Maya, "She gets really scared sometimes…"

"Stop worrying, Maya!" said Phoenix, "Pearl is sensible, she'll be fine. Besides, she's too happy that we're going out drinking together as a 'couple' to get scared."

"Huh, I suppose she is," Maya said, "Anyway, how come the windows are so steamed up in here? Has someone been hyperventilating or something?"

"Oh, how strange," said Edgeworth, "No, I don't have any idea how the windows came to be so steamed up."

"I bet Edgeworth and Franziska were secretly making out while we were gone, Nick," said Maya jokingly in a loud whisper.

"Ha ha, very funny," Edgeworth said in a dull voice which hinted that he was not amused.

"Good one, Maya!" Phoenix laughed. Edgeworth started up the engine and they drove off; Maya didn't really just how right she was.

It looked like the night was already in full swing when they reached the Blue Bar. Music was pounding out of the club and a gaggle of drunken young men were stumbling around by the doorway.

"It looks rather rowdy, don't you think?" said Edgeworth doubtfully, "Trust Larry to pick a place like this."

They got out; Edgeworth making sure his car was securely locked, as he didn't like the look of some of the men loitering around. They walked nervously into the club; inside it was crammed with people, the dance floor almost overflowing.

"Why, of why, did we have to come here, of all places?" Edgeworth muttered.

"Look, there are the others!" said Maya, pointing to three figures sipping drinks by the bar. They pushed through the crowds to reach them. Maggey and Gumshoe had obviously popped home to get changed; she was wearing a cute blue dress and heels, whereas Gumshoe was wearing a bizarre purple shirt embroidered with gold patterns which appeared to be much too small.

"Nice shirt, Detective," said Phoenix.

"It's my party shirt," he said happily, "Got it at a charity shop, pal! Bet ya wouldn't have guessed it only cost me 50 cents!"

Larry shoved a glass of something into Phoenix's face.

"Hey, Nick! Wanna cocktail drinking contest?"

"Ooh, I do!" said Maya, "Is there any for me, Larry?"

"Sure, have this one, since Nick's too much of a wuss to have it!" Larry passed Maya the glass of pink liquid, topped off with a cherry and a little umbrella.

"Wow, this cocktail is really decorative!" she said, admiring it, "I like all the little extra touches!"

"Yeah, awesome, Maya babe!" said Larry, "OK, three, two, one…" He tipped his head back and poured the drink down his throat; a second later he was bent double, choking. A soggy cherry flew out of his throat and landed on Edgeworth's shoe.

"Disgusting…" said Edgeworth, "I'm going to find a tissue." He disappeared into the noisy crowds, Franziska following behind him.

Larry finished spluttering and looked up at Maya; she'd drunk it in one gulp.

"Better luck next time, Larry," she giggled.

"Hey, no fair!" Larry said, "I choked on the cherry so it doesn't count, OK?"

"Fine, let's try again!" she challenged, "Then we can really prove who's king – or should I say QUEEN – of the cocktails!"

"You're on!" Larry ordered more drinks.

"Want me to get you a drink, pal?" Gumshoe asked Phoenix.

"OK… I'll just have what you've got," said Phoenix, deciding that Gumshoe's drink looked harmless enough compared to what Maya and Larry were having. The detective turned to the man behind the bar, a long haired guy with a stubbly chin.

"Two more of these, pal," he said, showing the man his glass. The bartender nodded. "Two 'Fresh Breezes', coming right up!"

Maya managed to win seven more cocktail contests before Larry finally accepted defeat.

"I'm the CHAMPION, Nick!" she giggled, swaying a little.

"Maybe you should stop drinking, Maya…"

"No WAY!" she said, "Ima get MORE Nick, c'mon!" She dragged him to the bar and ordered drinks for them both.

"Hey, I'm not drinking this!" said Phoenix, "It really doesn't look very healthy!" He examined the drink, which was a pale blue colour.

"Scaredy-cat!" Maya hiccupped, taking a slurp from her glass, "Go on!"

"Fine, fine…" He gave in and had a gulp, shuddering at the strength of the alcohol. But Phoenix supposed it didn't taste as bad as he thought. He managed to drain the glass, while Maya was already starting on a third glass of the stuff.

"Have another one, Nicky," she slurred, "Then we'll dance!"

He forced another cocktail down his throat and, feeling slightly drowsier than before, let Maya drag him onto the dance floor. The music was throbbing in his ear drums. Maya waved her hands in the air and performed some embarrassing dance moves.

"Nick, you're not dancing!" she said, swaying out of time with the music, "Look, even Gummy-shoe is getting' his groooooove on!" She pointed a drunken finger at Gumshoe and Maggey who were dancing wildly in the midst of the crowd.

Phoenix tried rocking a bit from side to side, but just felt stupid.

"You need more to drink, Fee-nick!" Maya laughed, pulling him back to the bar.

They had all lost track of time when Larry stumbled over with a cute blond haired girl clutching his arm.

"Who's that?" said Edgeworth, pointing rudely, all his politeness lost with the haze of alcohol which Maya had eventually encouraged him to drink.

"My Muffy," said Larry, "She's sooooo cute. I'm takin' her home baby!" He started drunkenly kissing her.

"Hey! What are you doing with my girl?" the bartender yelled.

"She's MY girl duuuude!"

The scruffy bartender climbed up and over the bar and punched Larry square in the face. Blood poured down from his nose.

"H-hey! Why d'ya do that?" Larry wailed. He flailed his arms at the bartender.

"Muffy, what are you doing with this loser?" he demanded, holding Muffy's arm.

"I… um… Griffiiiin!" she wailed. Griffin the bartender aimed a final kick at Larry before leading the drunken girl away.

Larry sobbed, wiping his blood streaked face. "Awww! He took away my girl, my angel!"

"It's alright, pal," said Gumshoe, patting him forcefully on the back, "Every linin' gotta silver cloud, know what I'm sayin'?"

"No," said Larry, "I'm gonna drink all this pain away!" He grabbed a glass out of Phoenix's hand and drunk every drop before running off.

"Never mind him, Nicky-poo!" said Maya, "Dance with meeee!"

This time, Phoenix was drunk enough that all of his self-consciousness and common sense had gone; he just let himself go. Sure, maybe he and Maya looked like idiots, but everyone was too drunk to care. She suddenly started to look really hot and he found that he couldn't keep his hands off of her.

"Let's go home baby," Maya whispered in his ear in what she thought to be a seductive voice, "I'll show you how much I loooove you!"

Meanwhile at the flat, Pearl was huddled under her duvet on the sofa, trembling. Wouldn't Mystic Maya and Mister Nick be back soon? She hadn't realised that hours could last so long… and it had gotten so dark outside…

Suddenly, Pearl heard a noise which made her jump. Shivering, she peeped out of the curtains… phew, just a car driving past. She glanced around her. The living room had never seemed scary before, but now that she was here alone, she felt very exposed. Someone could leap out from behind the door at any moment. What if there was a person hiding in the kitchen waiting to catch her? Or they could be behind the sofa, the very sofa she was lying on, picking the right moment to pounce and steal her away and she'd never see anyone ever again…

Pearl tried to calm her breathing and relax. She knew she was being silly, and Mystic Maya would laugh if she saw her like this. But still, she couldn't get rid of that uncomfortable prickling at the back of her neck…

There was a click. Pearl almost leapt out of her skin in terror, but she was sure that this time it was a real noise, not her imagination playing tricks on her. She shrank back against the sofa cushions, pulling the duvet tight around her.

The door handle was moving! Pearl fought back the urge to scream… she was frozen on the sofa, unable to move a muscle…

Suddenly there came a clanking sound and a voice from outside the door.

"Damn, dropped my keys!"

Pearl relaxed. It was only Mister Nick. She heard him pick up the keys and twist the handle again. She was so relieved… then she remembered how late it was, and thought she should probably be asleep by now. Quickly, she lay down and covered her face with the duvet, keeping as still as she could so she would fool Mister Nick and Mystic Maya.

They burst into the flat, both of them laughing drunkenly.

"Aww look! Pearly's asleep!"

"Cute," said Phoenix, "Not as cute as you honey!" He grabbed Maya's arm and led her into his bedroom. The door slammed shut behind them

As soon as they were out of sight, Pearl sat up. Had she heard correctly? Were Mystic Maya and Mister Nick finally in love?

She slipped silently out of bed and tiptoed to Phoenix's door. They were being quite noisy inside and she was sure they wouldn't notice if she opened the door a little, just for a tiny peek.

Inside it was dark, but she could make our shadows. On the bed, Maya was on top of Phoenix and they were – Pearl felt a little thrill – kissing! She decided she should leave the happy couple alone and crept back to her bed, where she soon fell asleep, her head filled with happy dreams of Maya and Phoenix.

Not long after she drifted off into her dream world, Maya staggered out of Phoenix's room, her clothes hanging off. She was feeling pretty disorientated and not sure where she was. Phoenix was already unconscious; he'd passed out on his bed, half naked with his legs sprawled over the edges.

Maya glanced around; everything seemed really blurry for some reason. She recognised a door – her bedroom! With shaking, weary legs she pushed it open and wandered in, collapsing onto her comfy bed. Within seconds, she too was fast asleep.


	2. The Morning After

The next morning, Phoenix woke up with a splitting headache to the sound of ringing.

"Shut up!" he groaned, rolling over and then realising the noise was coming from his phone. He grunted and pulled himself into a slumped sitting position, then looked around, trying to work out where exactly the phone was. He looked down, wondering why his shirt was half unbuttoned and his boxers were down to his knees. There was a vibration against his leg – aha, his phone was in his trouser pocket!

Phoenix managed to retrieve it from his tangled trousers which had fallen to somewhere around his ankles. It took him a moment to figure out which button to press; his mind was in a daze.

"Hello? Weenix Phright speaking…? I mean… uh…" his voice trailed off.

"Wright? Where on earth are you?" came Edgeworth's urgent voice from phone.

"Uh… my bed, it would seem," said Phoenix, "Why…?"

"Thank goodness. We were concerned," said Edgeworth, "You see, you just disappeared!"

"Where are the others, then?"

"Well, Larry went chasing after that Muffy girl like a lovesick idiot and got terribly beaten up by the barman," Edgeworth explained, "Detective Gumshoe went missing and Maggey was beside herself with worry, but we managed to find him asleep by some dustbins."

"Sounds bad," said Phoenix, "What 'bout Franziska?"

"She tripped up and broke her arm," Edgeworth said, "I ended up walking with her all the way from the club to the hospital… I'm actually rather exhausted now."

"Whoa, all that way?" said Phoenix, "Why didn't you just drive?"

"I couldn't drive drunk!" said Edgeworth, "Anyway, she's still at the hospital. I'm about to visit her, and I was just checking you were OK."

"Oh. Well, I'm fine… just tired."

"Well, I'll see you soon then, Wright." There was a beep as Edgeworth hung up.

Phoenix had a look around. He seemed to have knocked over all the contents of his desk, and for some reason Maya's shoes were on his bedroom floor. It would definitely take a while to tidy up. He turned to his clock, and was startled to see that it was already half past two in the afternoon! His stomach grumbled, and decided he really should get up and have some breakfast.

After putting on a fresh T-shirt and sweatpants, he went into the kitchen. Maya was slumped at the table; she had huge bags under her eyes and looked completely shattered. He watched as she chucked some tablets down her throat and took a gulp of water.

"Do you want anything else, Mystic Maya?" Pearl asked. She seemed to be spreading some butter onto a plateful of toast whilst loading up the toaster with even more bread.

"Um… could I have a bag of crisps too? Salt and vinegar. I'm starving!" Maya noticed Phoenix and looked up. "Oh, hey Nick."

"Why are you using Pearl as a slave?"

"Mystic Maya's ill," Pearl explained, "I'm feeding her up to make up better!"

"Um… right," said Phoenix, "More like hung-over, I'd say. What the hell happened last night?"

"I can't remember a thing!" said Maya, "I just woke up, ran to the bathroom, and puked! We must've looked such a mess when we got back – good thing Pearly didn't see us looking like drunken idiots, since she was already asleep."

"That's right, I was already sleeping!" Pearl said, smiling a little too widely.

"Well, whatever happened, I'm exhausted," said Phoenix, sitting at the kitchen table, "By the way, Franziska's in hospital. She broke her arm."

"Oh no, poor Franziska!" said Maya, "Anyway, how do you know?"

"Edgeworth called. Oh, and also Larry got beaten up and Gumshoe went to sleep by some dustbins."

"Oh dear," said Maya, "Well, I'm gonna stay off the alcohol for a while, I think!"

"Yeah, me too!" Phoenix groaned, rubbing his aching head, "Hey, mind if I have some of those?" He pointed to the pack of tablets.

"Knock yourself out," said Maya, "Not literally, though…"

At the hospital, Franziska could barely contain her embarrassment. She must have looked such a fool, stumbling in drunk with a broken arm! And to make matters worse, the nurses kept giving her amused looks whenever they walked past. She wondered what kind of state she'd been in when she arrived.

Ah, here was one of them now. Probably come to gloat at the hung-over prosecutor.

"Miss Von Karma? There's a visitor."

"Oh," said Franziska, "Who is it?"

"A handsome man dressed in pink," the nurse said, "I'll send him in."

Man in pink? That could only be Miles Edgeworth, although he didn't like his clothing to be described as 'pink'.

"Franny, how are you?" He looked concerned as he stood by her bedside.

"Don't call me that in public, fool," she snapped. She reached for her whip, which someone had kindly left on her bedside table, but felt a twinge of pain; Franziska remembered with a pang of annoyance that she had broken her whipping arm.

"I suppose you'll have to whip with the other arm for the time being," said Edgeworth with a small smile.

"Hmph. Yes, it would seem I shall."

"So, how is your arm doing?"

"Alright," she said coldly. She didn't really want to talk about her unfortunate accident, "It has been put into a temporary plaster. They're going to put on a real one later."

"And how exactly are you going to explain to everyone how your arm got broken?" he said, "I assume you are not going to include the part where you got extremely drunk?"

"I will say I tripped," said Franziska, "There is no need to go into detail if I'm asked about it. And so long as that fool Wright doesn't figure out that I was drunk at the time, no one will ever find out."

Edgeworth suddenly looked guilty. "Well… actually, I already told Wright about it over the phone."

"Fool!" Franziska cried, "Now the whole prosecutors' office will end up knowing!"

Edgeworth put a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Franny. It's not such a big deal. We all have fun sometimes, even those of us who are perfect. The other prosecutors will understand."

"The other prosecutors with gloat," she said sulkily.

Edgeworth smiled. Franziska's funny moods often managed to amuse him.

"Anyway, I bought you a little present." He reached into the carrier bag he was holding and handed her an elegant white box. "Your favourite chocolates."

"Miles Edgeworth, you shouldn't have!" she said, her eyes lighting up. She never could resist that particular brand of luxury chocolates, and Edgeworth was always happy to play that to his advantage. Franziska fumbled with the lid, her plastered arm making it difficult to open it.

"Here, let me." Edgeworth picked up the box and opened it with ease. "Which one do you want?"

"I can take out my own chocolate, you know," she said, "My arm may by broken but I'm not a complete invalid." She tried to reach for the glossy box, but he held it teasingly out of her reach.

"I'll choose for you, then." He picked out a caramel crème, which he knew to be one of her favourites, and put it to her lips.

"I shan't let you feed me, Miles Edgeworth!" she said in annoyance, "It's just foolish when I am perfectly capable of doing it myself!"

"Open wide," he said, waving the chocolate under her nose so the rich cocoa smell filled her nostrils. Franziska glared, and opened her lips. With a satisfied smile, Edgeworth put the chocolate into her mouth.

"There," he said, "That wasn't so hard." He placed the chocolate box on the bedside table and crouched down to Franziska's level.

"You're being foolish, you know."

Edgeworth ignored this and kissed her.

Franziska supposed the kiss wasn't so bad, really. It always gave her a secret thrill when he nibbled her bottom lip; not that she'd ever tell him that. She was starting to enjoy herself when a nurse walked in.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…" The flustered nurse rushed out of the room.

"Miles Edgeworth, perhaps you should leave," said Franziska, "Your foolish presence is slowing my recovery."

He laughed. "You say the funniest things sometimes, my darling."

This time she used her uninjured hand to grab her whip and lash him across the shoulders; she didn't hit him too hard, though. She never liked to hurt Miles Edgeworth, but she'd never tell him that, either.

Suddenly, there was a clatter as the door swung wide open.

"Surprise!" Larry yelled, "How's your arm, Frisky?"

"Miles Edgeworth! Get this fool out of here, immediately!"

Edgeworth glared at Larry. "Get out, Butz."

"Awww, Edgey! Don't go all cold on me, dude! I just wanted to see Fran, make sure she wasn't too bashed up to model for my book…"

"I can assure you, I won't be modelling for that foolish book any time soon," said Franziska, "And you are looking rather 'bashed up' yourself, Larry Butz."

"Yeah, that Griffin guy was pretty rough with me," said Larry. His wounds included a black eye, swollen cheek, and a grazed forehead where Griffin had thrown him to the ground and dragged him across the tarmac. "But hey, the Butz lives to see another day! Can't get rid of me that easy, huh Edgey?"

"Unfortunately, no," Edgeworth said, "Now please, could you let Franziska have some peace?"

There was another clatter as Gumshoe knocked over a medical trolley on his way in to Franziska's room.

"Hey, pal!" he said loudly, "How are you doing?"

"We brought some flowers!" said Maggey, appearing from behind him. She rushed to Franziska's bed and shoved a little bunch of wilted flowers into her face. It seemed that Detective Gumshoe had raided someone's flowerbed and tied them together with an old shoelace.

"Get those away, fool!" said Franziska, "I am allergic to some types of flower!" She started sneezing loudly, unable to stop.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Maggey glanced wildly around the room, not sure what to do with the flowers. She spotted the window. "Out of my way, Mr Edgeworth!" She pushed past him, flung open the window and tossed the flowers outside.

"Phew! Well done, Maggey!" said Gumshoe, "Don't worry, Miss Von Karma, the flowers are gone!"

Franziska was just recovering from her sneezing fit, her face bright red. "You fools! Look what you've done to me!"

"I'm so sorry!" Maggey said, "I just can't do anything right! I even managed to hit someone on the head with the flowers when I threw them out of the window! I bring bad luck to everything I touch!"

"Hey, it's OK, pal," said Gumshoe, putting an arm around her, "You don't mess up everything. I mean, look at me – we're dating, but I haven't died yet, have I?"

"No, I suppose not…" said Maggey, comforted by his words, "But I expect it's only a matter of time, sir!"

The door opened again; Franziska sighed angrily. "Not more foolish visitors!"

Phoenix, Maya and Pearl gathered around her bedside.

"Get well soon, Miss Von Karma!" Pearl said, "I made you a card!" She handed Franziska a wonkily folded piece of paper with a picture of two stick figures on it. One was wearing fluorescent pink, and the other had bright blue hair. There was a badly-drawn heart in between them.

"What is this foolish illustration?" said Franziska.

"It's you and Mister Edgeworth," said Pearl, "I thought you might like him to be your special someone! I'm sorry about the colours, they were the only ones Mister Nick had."

"Don't be silly, Pearly," said Maya, "Just because Mr Edgeworth and Franziska are both prosecutors, it doesn't mean they're in love!"

"OK, sorry," said Pearl, looking ashamed.

"Hey, you'll never guess what!" said Phoenix, "We were just walking into the hospital when this really lousy bunch of flowers hit me on the head!"

Gumshoe and Maggey exchanged a glance.

"Speaking of flowers, we bought you some on the way here!" said Maya. She held out a multicoloured bouquet in a pink cellophane wrapping.

"Nooooo!" Maggey cried. She ran towards Maya, grabbed the flowers, and threw them towards the window. They hit Edgeworth in the face. He looked irritated as he picked them up and put them in the corner, away from Franziska's bed.

"Oh, I can't do anything right!" said Maggey, "This just proves it! Another disaster! I'm useless!" She ran out of the room.

"Oh dear," said Gumshoe, "I'd better go and comfort her, pal." He rushed after her, calling her name.

"Er… what was all that about?" said Phoenix, "Why did Maggey go crazy and throw the flowers at Edgeworth?"

"Franziska is allergic to some types of flowers," said Edgeworth, "I think Maggey was making sure she didn't have an allergic reaction."

"Anyway, are you fools thinking about leaving any time soon?" said Franziska, "I would rather you hadn't wasted your time by visiting in the first place."

"Hey, Franzy, that's no way to treat your friends!" said Larry, "Ooh, chocolates!" He grabbed the box by Franziska's bed and chucked a couple into his mouth. "Anyone else want one?"

"Yes please!" Maya took a handful of chocolates and quickly devoured them. She got out some more and handed a few to Pearl.

"Thanks, Mystic Maya! I love chocolates!" Pearl began daintily nibbling on one of them.

"Mind if I have a few, Larry?" said Phoenix.

"OK, but be quick, there's not many left!" Larry and Phoenix both started gobbling down most of the remaining chocolates.

"You fools!" screamed Franziska, "Those are mine! Get your foolishly foolish fool's hands off of them!"

"Give those back!" said Edgeworth. Both prosecutors were ignored; everyone was too busy eating to hear their protests.

At that moment Detective Gumshoe and Maggey came back.

"Look, Maggey, Larry's got chocolates! That'll cheer you up!" He grabbed a few out of the tray and gave them too her, then took some more for himself.

"Any more for me?" said Maya, who had chocolate stains round her mouth.

"Awww, only one left, man!" Larry said, showing everyone the box, empty except for a single toffee swirl. There was a mad rush as everyone grabbed at the final chocolate; the box dropped to the floor. Everyone looked at each other, confused.

"Who got the last chocolate, pal?" said Gumshoe.

"It was you, wasn't it, Nick!" Maya demanded.

"No, I have no idea where it went!"

They looked around, and noticed Edgeworth munching on something.

"Miles Edgeworth, you fool!" Franziska shrieked, "You ate my last chocolate!"

"Sorry," he said, "But toffee swirls are my favourite… I couldn't resist!"

"Hmph! Now look what all you fools have done! Those chocolates were bought for me! I'm the one with a broken arm!" Franziska picked up her whip and started thrashing it at anyone near enough; however, her aim wasn't as good since she was using a different arm, and no one was seriously injured.

"Maybe we should leave," said Larry, "This chick's getting scarier by the minute!"

They all nodded in agreement and rushed out of the room. Gumshoe grabbed the bouquet from Maya on the way out.

"Alright!" he said, "I got myself some free flowers, pal!"


	3. Positive

"Mystic Maya, what's wrong?"

Pearl looked up at her beloved cousin, whose face had been in a permanent frown for the past few days.

"Nothing…"

"Then why do you look so sad?"

"I'm not sad."

"Mystic Maya, if something is that matter then please tell me!" Pearl demanded, "I need to know! You are the future master of Kurain! You can't just bottle up your feelings!"

Maya's frown turned into a look of surprise. "Whoa, Pearly! Don't freak out on me like that!"

Pearl burst into tears. "I'm sorry Mystic Mayaaaaaaa! I… I just wanted to help make you feel better! Waaaah!" She ran off to her room.

"Pearly, come back!" Maya called. There was no reply, apart from a few muffled sobs from the general direction of Pearl's bedroom. She sighed; all she'd done these past few days was upset Pearl. But Maya couldn't help it – she was worried. Surely she couldn't…? But she hadn't… had she…?

She groaned, burying her face in her hands. It was hopeless. She couldn't talk to Pearl about this, but she couldn't face it alone either. If only there was someone who she could tell…

"Aha!" Maya leapt up, hurrying to Pearl's room. She flung the door open. "Hey, Pearly, do you still wanna help me?"

Pearl sat up, her eyes red with tears. "Y-yes! I'll do anything if you will be happy again, Mystic Maya!"

"Ok… can you channel Mystic Mia for me please? I really need to talk to her right now."

"Oh!" Pearl's face fell a little as she realised that Maya didn't specifically want her help. But she kept smiling, happy to be of any use to her cousin. "Alright! I'll do it!"

"Thanks Pearly, you're the best!" Maya sat on the end of Pearl's bed. She couldn't wait to get all of this off her chest.

Where Pearl had been sat buried under the duvet, Mia now appeared.

"Maya! I haven't seen you for so long!" said Mia, "Er… why am I in Pearl's bed? And why is my face wet?"

"Pearl got a bit upset," Maya explained, "Look, Mia… something's happened. Well I think it has… maybe…"

"What are you talking about?" Mia asked, "Are you ill or something? Did somebody die?"

"No, neither of those…"

"Did you get a job? Did you break your burger eating record?"

"No! And why would I get Pearly to channel you just to tell you that?"

"I don't know," Mia admitted, "But it seems like the kind of thing you would do. So anyway, why did you want me?"

Maya sighed heavily. "Well… it's kind of hard to explain…"

Mia pulled the duvet off of her legs and sat closer to Maya so they were face to face. "Maya, stop avoiding the problem. Just tell me what's happened."

"Fine," said Maya, "Well… my period was due about two weeks ago. I thought it was probably nothing when it didn't come, but… well, it's still not started."

"Okay…" Mia nodded patiently.

"And… it's never usually late. So I'm a bit worried." Maya looked up at Mia nervously.

Mia seemed to understand. "You think you might be pregnant?"

Maya nodded.

"Right." Mia bit her lip. "Well… erm… not to be rude Maya, but you do realise you can't get pregnant if you're still a virgin?"

"Hey! I never said I was still a virgin!"

"But I just assumed…" Mia trailed off, giving a little shrug.

Maya glared at her. "Well, I'm pretty sure you weren't a virgin when you were nineteen, Mia!"

"But that's different! You're a different person to me! You're…" Mia trailed off again, not sure what to say.

"I'm what? Not as attractive to guys? Thanks Mia, you're really helping."

"That's not what I meant!" Mia sighed, "OK, so who exactly have you slept with…?"

"Um… I'm not actually sure if I've ever slept with anyone, to be honest," Maya admitted, blushing, "But I got drunk about a month ago, and I think something might have happened between me and…" Maya started mumbling.

"Maya, stop muttering like that! Who did you have sex with!"

"Nick."

"Oh." Mia didn't seem surprised, but she didn't seem pleased either. "Maya… won't it be a little, y'know, weird if you're pregnant with your best friend's baby?"

"Yeah, that's what I've been thinking."

"Well, look on the bright side – you might not even be pregnant! You haven't taken a test yet, right?"

"No," said Maya, "I thought about it… but I couldn't face it! What if it came out positive?"

"Oh, Maya!" Mia pulled her sister into a warm hug, suddenly feeling a rush of emotion and pity for her. "Well, you can't put it off forever. Let's go and buy one now, OK? We can do it together."

Maya nodded. Mia was right; she had to find out sometime. If it was negative, she could just forget any of this ever happened. If it was positive… Maya shuddered at the thought.

The two sisters caught the bus to the next town over from Kurain and headed for the nearest chemist. The elderly woman at the till eyed up their spirit channelling costumes with raised eyebrows as they walked in.

"I'd like to buy a pregnancy test, please," Mia asked.

"Hmm. No wonder you got pregnant, dressed like that," the woman said, eying Mia's outfit with disgust; she barely fit into Pearl's clothes. "The youth of today…" The woman walked off, muttering, to get a test.

"What a grumpy old lady," Maya whispered, "Please don't tell her I'm the one that needs the test! She'd probably have a rant at me!"

"Haha, don't worry," Mia whispered back. The woman returned and they paid for the pregnancy test.

"Ok, back to Kurain!" said Mia as they left the shop. She turned the box in her hands and skimmed through the instructions. "Looks like it's just one of those tests you have to pee on," she said, "Sorry, I don't know a lot about these, but we'll figure it out…"

They opened up the box as soon as they were home. "Ok, you take it in to the bathroom and do the test," said Mia, "If you want, you could not look at it until you've called me in, then we can find out the results together."

"Alright," said Maya, "Fingers crossed…"

A minute later, she called Mia in to the bathroom. The pregnancy test was held behind her back.

"All done?" Mia asked. Maya nodded. "Ok, so it said on the box that if there's a blue line it's positive, and a black line means it's negative."

"Here goes…" Maya took Mia's hand and squeezed it tightly as held the pregnancy tester up in front of them.

The line was blue.

Back in the city, Phoenix was having a relaxing day in his office. He'd just finished his latest case and no work had come up; it was great just to chill out and relax. He'd managed to tidy away all the loose papers into his desk draws and the office was looking pretty clean. The suit he'd rented for Gumshoe and Maggey's wedding the next day was hanging up on the door handle.

The phone began to ring; lazily he reached across and picked it up.

"Hello? Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney - at your service!"

"Hello, Phoenix."

"Mia!" he said, "Aren't you dead?"

"I'm being channelled," she said in exasperation, "Honestly, have you forgotten that Maya and Pearl have spirit powers?"

"No…" he lied. It actually hadn't crossed his mind for a while.

"Anyway, Phoenix, Maya needs to tell you something…"

"And why exactly are you announcing it to me?" he said, confused, "How come she didn't just call me herself?"

"Er… I just thought I would talk to you first, since we haven't spoken for a while," said Mia. The truth was that Maya had refused to call Phoenix, so Mia had decided to phone him up and shove the phone at Maya.

"Yeah, it's great to talk to you too, Chief!" he said, "Do you wanna hand over the phone, then?"

"Yes, I'll just find her…" Mia held a hand over the receiver and walked to Maya's room where she was lying on her bed staring into space.

"Maya, Phoenix needs to talk to you."

"Mia! I told you I didn't want to speak to Nick! Not yet!"

"You've got to tell him, Maya!"

"Tell me what?" Phoenix's voice came out of the phone. Obviously Mia's hand hadn't been enough to block out her conversation with Maya.

Mia shoved the phone into Maya's hands.

"Oh… uh… hi Nick!" Maya said, trying to sound happy and bubbly as usual.

"Hi Maya!" said Phoenix, "So… um… Mia said you wanted to tell me something?"

"Oh yeah!" said Maya, acting as though she'd just remembered something important, "Well, I just wanted to say… don't forget to pick up your suit for tomorrow!"

"I already did," said Phoenix, "Er… is that it?"

"Yep!" Maya said, "Mia probably made out that it was something really important, right?"

"Well, yeah," said Phoenix, "I was actually expecting something bigger than that, to be honest…"

Mia was glaring at Maya. "Don't forget to tell him you're pregnant with his baby!" she hissed at Maya.

"Mia! Shut up!" Maya whispered angrily.

"Huh? Who's pregnant?" Phoenix asked.

"Um… Franziska!" said Maya, saying the first name that popped into her head, "Yeah, she's… um… expecting a baby with Edgeworth!"

Phoenix was shocked. "Seriously? I never would've guessed those two were… wow… a baby?"

"Yup," said Maya, "But don't tell her I told you, OK? It's supposed to be a big secret."

"If it's a secret, why did she tell you?" Phoenix asked suspiciously.

"Because… we're actually best friends," said Maya, "We… um… bumped into each other at a Steel Samurai convention… and we really hit it off! But we kept our friendship a secret cos she didn't want anyone to know she's a hardcore Steel Samurai fan!"

"Oh really?" said Phoenix, enjoying the gossip, "Wow, I didn't know you knew so many secrets about Franziska! But don't worry, my lips are sealed!"

"Thanks, Nick! You're the best! See ya!" Maya hung up as quickly as possible, then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Maya!" Mia groaned, "You were supposed to tell him! You can't keep a secret like this forever, you know, and making up lies about Franziska von Karma really won't help!"

"I know, but…" Maya paused, trying to think of an excuse, "I want to tell him face to face, OK? Over the phone just isn't personal enough."

"Fine," said Mia, "So when will you next see him face to face?"

"Tomorrow," said Maya, "I'm being Maggey's bridesmaid at her wedding, and Nick will be there too."

"Right," said Mia, "So you can tell him tomorrow! That's not so bad, I suppose."

"But… but I don't want to ruin the atmosphere of the wedding with bad news!"

"Maya!" Mia snapped, "Just tell him, for goodness sake! Otherwise you'll regret it when you're on your own at the abortion clinic with no one to support you."

Maya did a double take. "Abortion clinic? What are you talking about?"

"Well, you're getting rid of it, aren't you?"

"No way! I could never kill an innocent baby!" Maya gasped, "Do you mean you think I should actually have an abortion?"

"Maya, you're nineteen years old! Do you know how much this baby would mess up your life?"

"What, and killing it is the answer? I could never have an abortion, Mia, and I thought you were the same!"

"Well, maybe I'm not!" said Mia, "Maybe you don't know as much about me as you thought!"

"What are you talking about! You're not the one who's pregnant here, Mia!"

"But you can't seriously be thinking of keeping and raising a child!" Mia said, outraged, "You're barely more than a child yourself!"

"I can't kill it, end of story," said Maya angrily, "People who have abortions are nothing more than murderers."

"Fine, if you feel that way, I'll go back to where I came from!" Mia's spirit faded away, leaving Pearl in her place.

"Mystic Maya? What's going on?"

"Grr! Stupid Mia!" Maya growled, "Don't channel her again Pearly, OK?"

"Did you fall out?"

"I guess so."

"But why? I thought Mystic Mia was a good person!" said Pearl.

"Well she just went really weird on me," said Maya, "I don't know what got in to her. She wanted me to have an abortion!"

"What's a-bore-shun?" said Pearl. Maya put her hand over her mouth – how could she have let that slip so easily? Oh well, she might as well tell Pearl the whole story.

"Listen, Pearly, I need to tell you something," she began, "But promise not to tell anyone, OK? Otherwise we can't be cousins any more."

Pearl gasped. "Why? Is it something really, really bad?"

"Not bad," said Maya, "Just secret."

"I promise I won't tell!" said Pearl earnestly.

"Alright. Well… I'm going to have a baby!" There was a moment of silence; Maya wondered how Pearl would react.

"Wow! Mystic Maya, that's the best news ever! What will you call it? Is it a boy or a girl? I bet it will have great spirit powers! Can I help look after it?"

Pearl was in her element, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Of course, Pearly," said Maya, "You can play with it as much as you want. Just don't tell anybody, please?"

"But won't they notice when you get a big tummy, Mystic Maya? Because that's what happens when a baby is living inside."

"I'll tell people soon enough," said Maya, "Just keep it quiet for now."

"OK!" said Pearl, "I know, I'll go and find some of my old toys for when it's born! We can start a baby collection!" She skipped off happily.

Maya felt relieved yet a bit confused as to why Pearl hadn't asked the crucial question; wasn't she wondering who the baby's father was? Then Maya remembered how sweet and innocent Pearl was. She probably didn't even realise that babies needed to have a father.

Maya lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She had been so looking forward to the wedding tomorrow, but now she was threatened with the task of telling Phoenix the biggest news of their lives. Could she really go through with this?


	4. Wedding Bells

It was the day of the wedding. Maggey had traipsed off to the bathroom after realising she'd forgotten to shave her left leg; Maya and Franziska, her two bridesmaids, were doing their hair. It was a typical grey day and the rain was lashing against the windows of Maggey's cramped bedroom.

"Maya Fey," Franziska announced, "May I ask you a question?"

"Huh? Oh, um, OK…" said Maya, not really sure what Franziska wanted to ask her in such a formal tone.

"Are you pregnant?"

"WHAAAT!" Maya gasped, her mouth hanging open, "H-how do you know?"

Franziska smiled triumphantly, happy that she was correct. "You have a bump," she said simply.

"No I don't!" said Maya, "I'm only a month gone, it's not long enough for me to be showing yet!"

"Then what is that?" Franziska asked, pointing to Maya's stomach, which was a bit flabby.

"Um… well, that's been there for a while, actually," Maya admitted, "I think all the burgers are starting to pile up…"

"Oh." Franziska frowned. "So, you are pregnant, but you do not have a bump?"

"Yeah, pretty much," said Maya, "I guess there's no point hiding it if everyone's gonna mistake my fat for a baby…"

Maggey burst back into the room, knocking over the hanger containing her wedding dress.

"Oh no!" she gasped, "My dress! It'll be all crumpled now!" She burst into tears.

Franziska bent down and awkwardly picked it up with her unbroken arm. She hated having to wear a stupid cast and couldn't wait to take it off.

"Here you are, Maggey Byrde," she said, "It appears to be unharmed."

Maggey took the dress, checking it from all angles. "You're right, it's fine! Phew!" She smiled before looking glumly at the window. "Still, I wish the weather would pick up a bit. Trust me to pick the worst day of the year for my wedding day!"

"Bad weather or not, it can still be the best day of your life," said Maya firmly, "Come on, put your dress on." She flashed a meaningful glare at Franziska which clearly said 'don't tell Maggey I'm pregnant'. Franziska looked a bit shifty.

Maggey clambered into her dress, falling over twice in the process. Finally it was all zipped up.

"You look great, Maggey!" said Maya.

"I have to admit, you look considerably less foolish than usual." This was a pretty good compliment, coming from Franziska von Karma.

"Aw, thanks guys!" said Maggey, "I can't believe I'm getting married today! I might just start crying again-"

"No no no!" Maya said quickly. "You'll ruin your makeup!"

The three of them heard the ringing of the doorbell; Maggey's Dad had arrived with the limo to take her to the wedding. They rushed to the door.

"Hey, Magpie!" said Keith, Maggey's Dad, "You look gorgeous, sweetie!"

"Thank you Daddy!" said Maggey, giving him a huge hug.

"Maggey, watch your hair!" said Maya, "You'll squash all the curls!"

Maggey quickly stepped back and brushed her hair down. "Do I look alright still?"

"You look fine," Franziska reassured her. The limo driver beeped the horn, telling them to hurry up.

"Woowee, look at that car!" said Maya, "I feel just like a movie star getting into this!" Even though she'd been feeling pretty down ever since finding out she was pregnant, she just couldn't help but be exciting about getting into the huge white limousine.

Inside it was even more luxurious. There was a gigantic flat screen TV across the back of the front seats and a drinks cabinet containing a bottle of wine.

"Why don't we have a drink?" said Keith, "Just for luck!" Maggey nodded excitedly as he got out the bottle of wine. "Not that I condone you drinking of course, Maggey!" He poured out a glass for himself and his daughter.

"Might I have a glass?" said Franziska.

"Sure, here you go," he said, pouring out a third glass, "How about you?" He waved the bottle towards Maya.

"Um… no thanks…"

"But Maya, you love drinking!" said Maggey, "Remember that time when we went to the Blue Bar? You're the queen of the cocktails!"

Maya tried to repress the memory of the drinking contest with Larry; that was how she'd eventually ended up pregnant, after all. And she was pretty sure pregnant women weren't supposed to drink…

"I… um… I don't think I'll drink for a while…!" she said, blushing, "I… want to take a break after getting so drunk last time!"

"Oh my god! Franziska was right, you ARE pregnant!" said Maggey.

"FRANZISKA!" Maya screeched, "No one is supposed to know yet!"

Franziska and Maggey looked at each other guiltily.

"Sorry Maya," said Maggey, "We just, you know, kind of were talking about it while you were getting our shoes from the hallway earlier…"

"You were gossiping about me behind my back! Thanks a lot." Maya crossed her arms and slumped back in her seat.

There was an awkward silence.

"Well, congratulations, I guess," said Keith.

"Dad! You're not making things any better," said Maggey. Maya just pouted.

"Ah, we're at the church," said Franziska, who had been staring out of the window trying to avoid looking at Maya's furious face.

They all got out and Keith opened an umbrella to protect Maggey's intricately styled hair and dress. Unfortunately Maya and Franziska were left to get drenched by the heavy downpour of rain.

"Are you cold, Maya Fey?" asked Franziska.

"Don't try and talk to me," she replied, "You know I'm annoyed with you."

"Well, wouldn't you have done the same if you thought I was pregnant?"

Maya opened her mouth to speak, and then suddenly remembered what she'd told Phoenix the previous day; she really hoped he'd forgotten and didn't mention anything to Franziska.

"Look, can we please make friends again, just for today?" Maggey pleaded, "I just want everything to run smoothly for once!"

"OK, fine, I forgive you two," said Maya, "On one condition. Don't tell anyone!"

"Alright, I promise," said Maggey, "And I was wondering-"

Maya interrupted her. "If you want to know who the father is, I'm not telling you."

Maggey and Franziska glanced at each other.

"Phoenix," they said simultaneously.

Maya wanted to yell at them, but they had already reached the church.

There was wedding music playing from the huge organ at the back wall; it was a big old church with a fancy stone ceiling and stained glass windows, and even on this gloomy day it looked spectacular. Across one wall was a vast tapestry depicting a scene from the bible, and everyone was sat in traditional wooden pews. At the altar was a vicar dressed in a crisp white robe, with Gumshoe who was wearing his best suit and actually looked like he'd made an effort… even if he'd accidentally pinned on his buttonhole flower upside-down.

Everyone gasped in awe as they walked slowly down the aisle, Maggey holding her father's arm. Maya momentarily forgot her annoyance with Franziska and they smiled shyly at each other, embarrassed by all the eyes staring at them. Finally they reached the altar and the bridesmaids sat down in their reserved seats at the front.

Keith kissed Maggey quickly on the cheek and she went to stand with Gumshoe; they gazed lovingly into each others' eyes, and Maya felt a little jealous, although she wasn't really sure why.

The wedding service was just getting started when Maya heard her name being called.

"Psst! Maya!" She turned around to see Larry, sat next to Phoenix a few rows behind. She gave them a little wave.

"You look cute!" Larry whispered, pointing to her blue bridesmaid dress.

"Ok!" she mouthed silently. Larry didn't seem to understand.

"I said, you look cute!" he whispered, louder this time and pointing forcefully at her outfit.

Maya didn't want to disrupt the service by whispering back so she gave him a thumbs up instead to show she'd understood what he'd said. Larry seemed to misinterpret it and winked at her, giving her two thumbs up.

She turned back to the front, not really keen to strike up a conversation with Larry in the middle of Maggey's wedding.

"Oi! Maya!" he hissed again. Frustrated, she turned around. She glared and put a finger over her lips.

"Nick says hi!" he said, practically talking at a normal volume now.

Maya shook her head in exasperation.

"I said, NICK SAYS HI-"

"Could you please be quiet?" said a plump elderly woman in the row between them.

Maggey and Gumshoe turned to see what the commotion was. The vicar paused in his speech. They were all looked directly at Maya.

"Anything the matter…?" said the vicar.

"No, no, it's all fine!" said Maya, blushing.

"Alright, let's continue then…"

Maggey gave Maya a puzzled look before turning back to face Gumshoe.

Larry tried to communicate with her three more times during the wedding; fortunately it was soon all over. Everyone burst into applause as Maggey and Gumshoe kissed and made their way to walk down the aisle together.

It was then that disaster struck. As Maggey was descending the steps at the side of the raised platform at the front of the church, the heel of her shoe got caught on the edge of the fragile medieval tapestry. Within seconds it had tumbled down from its ancient railing on the ceiling and collapsed over half the congregation.

"Oh no!" Maggey gasped, "I killed half our wedding guests!"

"That was our most prized church relic!" cried the vicar.

Muffled screams and cries erupted from beneath the dusty tapestry.

"Help meeeeeeee!"

"What eez zis? A tablecloth 'az fallen on moi!"

"Somebody knocked over my coffee!"

The other half of the church had got up to try and help; Maya managed to find Pearl, Phoenix, and Larry, who couldn't stop laughing.

"Man, I'm glad we sat on the left hand side of the church!" said Larry.

"Those poor people!" said Pearl, "Mystic Maya, let's rescue them!"

Meanwhile Detective Gumshoe was dragging Maggey out of the door.

"Let's get out of here before we get in trouble for this, pal!"

Maya and Franziska hurried after them, only to see them driving off in the minbus they'd hired.

"Um… wasn't that minibus supposed to be taking us to the reception?" said Maya.

"Yes," said Franziska, "It was."


	5. Lying to Everybody

Finally, after cramming into what available cars there were after the minibus had driven off without them, the guests had arrived at the wedding reception.

As best man, Edgeworth was given a seat at the top table along with Maggey, Gumshoe, Franziska and Maya. Phoenix was stuck with Pearl and Larry; he didn't mind babysitting Pearl, but it was Larry he wasn't so happy about.

"… and Detective Gumshoe is one of the most loyal and dependable men you will ever meet," said Edgeworth. He was just concluding the traditional best man's speech

"Aww, sir! You're so kind!" bawled Gumshoe, who had tears in his eyes. The whole room burst into applause, mostly relieved that the long speech was over. Larry even gave Edgeworth a wolf-whistle, just to annoy him.

Edgeworth cleared his throat. "Actually, the speech isn't done yet-" He held up several more sheets of paper.

Franziska patted his arm. "I think you've said enough, Miles Edgeworth." He looked at her in annoyance, but sat down anyway, since nobody seemed keen to listen to him droning on about Detective Gumshoe for another half an hour.

Gumshoe stood up. "OK everyone, there's a buffet table over there, so help yourselves!"

There was a sudden burst of movement towards the table as everyone hurried to get food. Typically, Maya managed to push her way to the front of the queue. Larry was close behind her.

"Yum, look at those sausage rolls!" said Maya, "Ooh, and pizza! And cheese-and-pineapple on sticks!"

"This doesn't seem like very traditional wedding food," Franziska pointed out.

"Truth be told, I couldn't afford a proper meal," Gumshoe whispered, "Don't tell Maggey, OK?"

"I think she already knows you're poor," said Phoenix, filling his plate, "Still, I never say no to sausage rolls, right Maya?"

"Uh… right!" She moved away from him, feeling very awkward as this was the first time she'd seen him since she'd found out she was carrying his child.

Back at their tables, everyone tucked in to the buffet food.

"So, when are you intending on telling Phoenix Wright that he is to become a father?" Franziska said quietly.

"Yeah, you've gotta tell him sometime!" Maggey chipped in.

Maya groaned. "You sound just like my sister!"

"Well, your sister is right! He needs to know!" Maggey insisted.

"Needs to know what, pal?" said Gumshoe loudly, "This sounds serious!"

Maya gave Maggey and Franziska a meaningful look.

"Um… er… we were just discussing how nice the flowers at this wedding are," said Maggey.

"Oh, thanks!" said Gumshoe, "Picked 'em myself!" He wandered back to the buffet table, smiling to himself.

"When he says he 'picked the flowers himself', I really hope he doesn't mean literally…" said Maya, "Although I wouldn't put it past him!"

"Stop changing the subject, Maya Fey," said Franziska, "You've really delayed this long enough. He's stood by the food table alone; I think this is your perfect opportunity!"

"Yes, go for it!" Maggey agreed. She took Maya's paper plate out of her hands and shoved her out of her chair.

"Ow! Maggey!"

"Just tell him!"

"Fine!"

Maya stomped across the room towards Phoenix.

"Hey, Maya!" he said happily, "It feels like we haven't really spoken for a while, don't you think?"

"Um… not really…"

"So anyway, thanks for telling me Franziska's secrets! This will make me a whole lot more confident when I'm up against her in court, you know!"

"Yeah, great," said Maya, "Look, about that…"

She bit her lip, not sure whether to tell him she was lying or not.

"What about it? Have you got more gossip?"

"Well… um…" Maya paused. After a moment of thought she decided it was easiest to keep on lying. "Actually, did you know that Edgeworth wants to name the baby 'Miley' if it's a girl?"

"Ha! That's crazy," said Phoenix, "Let me guess, naming it after himself? That's so funny!"

"Y-yeah…" Maya laughed nervously, "I really need to get back to Maggey, I think she needs me for a… um… bridesmaid ritual…"

"What's a bridesmaid ritual?" Phoenix asked. Maya had already gone.

Back at the top table, Maggey and Franziska were ready to bombard Maya with questions.

"Did you tell him?" Maggey asked quickly.

"Yes!" said Maya, "Do you honestly think I'd keep it a secret any longer?"

Franziska narrowed her eyes. "Hmm. Well, he did appear rather relaxed, considering you've just given him probably the biggest news of his life…"

"Yeah, he took it really well," said Maya, "I think he's actually quite excited!"

"Is that why he was laughing so much?" said Maggey, "Because it doesn't seem all that funny to me…"

"Um… he thought it was hilarious… for some reason," said Maya. She really wanted to end this conversation, since her excuses were getting worse by the second, "I'm going to… go and see Pearl!" She hurried off. It really sucked lying to everyone.

Pearl was enjoying a game of 'throw the sausage roll' with Larry.

"Pearly, what are you doing?" Maya asked. Pearl really wasn't the type of girl to throw food, especially at a special occasion.

"Mister Laurice says this is a traditional wedding game!" she said excitedly, "Look, I'm joining in with the traditions! Will this game be at your wedding to Mister Nick?"

"Larry, don't take advantage of Pearl's innocent nature!" said Maya.

"Sorry, Maya cutie," said Larry, "Hey, do you wanna play with me?" He waved the sausage roll at her.

"No thanks," she said, "Come on Pearly, let's go somewhere else." She took Pearl's hand and dragged her away from Larry's nauseating grin.

They went out into the corridor outside the hall where the reception was being held; Maya felt like she needed some fresh air after all the pressure of lying to people. It was actually a lot harder than she'd first expected.

"Why did we come out here?" said Pearl.

"I just felt too… crowded," Maya answered. She took a deep breath, wondering how she was really going to break the news to Phoenix… when she worked up the courage to talk to him again.

"Mystic Maya, do you still hate Mystic Mia?" Pearl asked.

"I… I don't really know," said Maya, "I think she probably hates me, but I don't know why."

"Is that why you seem unhappy?" said Pearl, "I really don't want you to be sad. I know, I'll channel her so you can make friends!"

"No, Pearly! I really don't want to speak to Mia right now-"

"Why not?" said Mia's voice. Maya sighed; it was too late. Pearl had already channelled her sister.

"Why do you think?" said Maya, "You started getting angry for no reason just because I didn't want to kill my baby!"

"Maya… I'm sorry," said Mia, "I've been thinking and I suppose you're right. People who have abortions… they're no better than murderers."

Maya looked up at Mia, surprised to see how sad she looked. "Mia? What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Mia said defensively, "Who said anything's the matter?"

Maya raised one eyebrow. "You're acting weird. Again."

"No I'm not!" Mia folded her arms, turning her head away so Maya couldn't read her facial expression.

"Mia, tell me the truth. I told you my secret about being pregnant! I think you owe it to me to let me know what's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me. End of story."

Suddenly Maya felt her Magatama react against her chest. Her vision suddenly went blurry and she saw a psyche-lock appear across Mia.

"I knew it! You're hiding something!"

Mia looked up and saw Maya's magatama glowing softly. "Hmm. I suppose it was only natural you'd see right through me."

"But you still don't want to tell me?"

"No."

Maya sighed. Of course Mia wasn't going to make things easy for her. She remembered Phoenix's methods of getting information out of people; maybe now was the time to copy his techniques. She had no solid evidence, but she could make some pretty good assumptions from the way Mia had been acting. "Then I'll just have to guess," Maya said firmly.

Mia didn't say anything.

"Well, you've been acting like this since I said I was pregnant, so I'm guessing it's got something to do with pregnancy?"

Her sister still made no response, but Maya sensed the psyche-lock loosening slightly.

"And it must be something to do with abortions, because that's what you've been so weird about. Am I right?"

Mia's stony expression faltered a little, but obviously she didn't want to reveal everything just yet.

"And there's only one reason you'd be so sensitive about it," Maya continued, "And that reason also explains why you're acting so sad and guilty right now. Mia… you were pregnant once, weren't you? And you got rid of it."

Mia gave up and the psyche lock shattered loudly, although Maya was the only one who could hear it. Mia still didn't say a word; she just slumped down onto a chair and broke down in tears.

"Oh, sis, I'm so sorry!" said Maya, "I shouldn't have gotten so angry at you… if only I'd realised sooner…" she crouched down to put an arm around Mia.

"I know I shouldn't have yelled at you," said Mia through a haze of tears, "It's just that the whole thing brought back so many memories… and I expected you would do the same thing I did, to get rid of it… but then what you said about abortion being murder really got to me, and I realised how heartless I had been… I killed my own baby, Maya!" She put her head in her hands and sobbed even more loudly.

"Shh, it's ok," Maya said soothingly. It felt weird to be comforting her big sister instead of the other way around, "But… why? Why didn't you keep it?"

Mia wiped her damp eyes with the back of her hand. "I couldn't Maya. I just couldn't. It was back when I was twenty-three… I was so happy. I'd found the love of my life, I had a great job, and I was closer to catching Dahlia Hawthorne than ever. It was perfect."

Maya nodded encouragingly while Mia continued to cry. After a moment she continued her story.

"And then… it all came crashing down. She poisoned his coffee… he was as good as dead. I'd lost almost everything. Without him there to pay half the rent on our flat I was close getting kicked out of my home and struggling to find somewhere else to live. I was so distraught after losing him that I could barely even concentrate on my work and I'd have been sacked if Grossberg didn't feel so sorry for me. It just hurt so much to know that the man I was in love with might never wake up. And then… I found out I was pregnant with his baby. What else could I do?"

Maya hugged her sister tightly. "It's ok sis, you didn't have any other choice."

"But I did! I could have kept it, but I killed it instead out of my own free will. My job as a lawyer was to save people but I couldn't even protect my own child… I was the one who ended its life…"

"Mia, it's not your fault!" Maya insisted. She was really regretting what she'd said about abortions now; at the time it had seemed like she was standing up for what she believed in, but all she'd done was made Mia hate herself.

"It's all my fault!" Mia sobbed.

"No. It's my fault."

Mia and Maya looked up to see where the deep, solemn voice had come from. Prosecutor Godot stepped out from behind the door.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been listening. But I came out to get some air and happened to stumble across your conversation."

He knelt in front of Mia and took both her hands in his own. "Listen, kitten, this wasn't you're fault. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I abandoned you and left you in that situation. You didn't have any other option."

"B-but you didn't mean to get poisoned… and I killed out baby, Diego!"

"I know, Mia, but that was better than ruining your life and bringing a child into a world where it wasn't wanted," he said seriously, "You need to understand that nobody blames you for what happened, and you certainly shouldn't blame yourself."

"But it was all my fault!" Mia said, more tears running down her face. Feeling awkward, Maya stood up.

"I'll…um… just be getting back to the party… OK?" She was completely ignored; Godot was too busy trying to persuade Mia to stop feeling guilty, and she was crying uncontrollably. Maya shrugged before walking back into the hall.

Meanwhile, everyone else was dancing to some cringy disco music chosen by Detective Gumshoe. They'd persuaded every single guest to get out on the dance floor, even Franziska and Edgeworth.

"Hey, Franziska!" said Phoenix, raising his voice over the loud, cheesy music, "It's OK, I know about the baby!"

"Yes, Maya told you, didn't she?" said Franziska, wondering why she was telling her this.

"Yeah, yesterday on the phone."

"Really? I thought she told you earlier by the buffet table!"

"No, it was definitely yesterday!" he said, "But she told me about baby names earlier. I'm surprised you're not objecting to 'Miley'!"

Franziska was confused; she hadn't heard anything about Maya naming her baby Miley. "Well, it's a silly name," she said, "But I don't think I really have much choice in the matter!"

"Huh," said Phoenix. He supposed Edgeworth must be forcing her to let him choose the baby's name. "So anyway… do you think the baby will like the Steel Samurai?" He grinned mischievously, expecting her to be shocked that he knew she was a secret fan.

"I wouldn't be surprised," she said, "Seeing as its mother is a huge fan."

"Yeah, I know she is!" said Phoenix, "Maya told me about that too." He winked. "Don't worry, I won't tell!"

"Tell what?" said Franziska. Now she was utterly confused.

"You know what!" said Phoenix, "I think I'll get some more to eat!" He half walked, half danced his way over to the buffet table. Franziska assumed he must be crazy, or tipsy, or both. Either way she was very surprised at how well he was handling the news of Maya's pregnancy.

Edgeworth crept up behind her and put a hand on her waist, making her jump.

"Ah! Miles Edgeworth! Don't startle me like that!" she snapped, slapping his hand away.

"I was just wondering if you'd dance with me, Franziska von Karma," he said with a smile. As if by magic, the music switched to a slow love song.

"Hmm. Alright," she said, "But don't make it too obvious that we're… you know…"

Edgeworth smirked. "Alright." He put both hands on her waist and she reluctantly placed her fingertips on his shoulders as they swayed in time to the music.

"So, what were you and Wright talking about?" he asked, "It looked very secretive. He kept winking."

"You're not getting jealous, are you Miles Edgeworth?" said Franziska.

"No. Just wondering."

"Well, we were discussing some… good news," she said, "I don't think I'm supposed to tell you, but I might as well, since Phoenix Wright already knows."

"What are you talking about?"

"Maya Fey is pregnant, and that fool is the father!"

Edgeworth looked gobsmacked, which was unusual for him. "Really? I never thought I'd see the day when that would happen!"

"I'm not all that surprised, to be honest," Franziska said, "I think there was always… something between them."

Edgeworth laughed. "You mean like there always was between us?" He stroked her cheek.

"Stop that!" She pulled her face out of his grasp.

"Hey, it's not like I'm making our relationship public," said Edgeworth, "At least let me show some affection towards you, Franny."

"Not here!" she said, "We're getting funny looks!" The song came to an end. "I'm going to get more drinks!" She hurried off before Edgeworth could give away any signs that the two of them were more than just friends.

Edgeworth decided to congratulate Phoenix.

"Ah, Wright!" he said, meeting Phoenix at the buffet table, "We haven't spoken all evening!"

"Yeah, it's been a while," said Phoenix, "Oh, and congratulations, by the way!"

"But shouldn't I be congratulating you? You're the one who is going be a father, after all!"

"Me!" said Phoenix, "No, it's you who's got Franziska pregnant!"

"Franziska?" said Edgeworth, "But… she can't be pregnant! She would have told me!"

"It's true," said Phoenix, "She told Maya, and Maya told me!"

"But Maya is the one who's pregnant!" said Edgeworth, "With your baby!"

"She can't be! There's nothing going on between me and Maya!"

At that moment, Maya walked back into the room.

"Hey, Maya! Tell Edgeworth it's impossible for you to be pregnant!" said Phoenix, rolling his eyes.

Maya froze. How the hell did he find out?

"Maya?" said Phoenix warily after seeing her expression of horror, "Tell him, Maya. It's ridiculous… right?"

"Well… the thing is, Nick…"

"What? What's the thing, Maya? What is it!" he asked urgently, getting more and more worried.

"You're going to be a Daddy!" she said as optimistically as she could manage, "Um… congratulations…?"

Phoenix was the one frozen now.

"What… did… you… say…?" His face was as white as a sheet.

"I'm pregnant… and it's yours!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"


	6. Confessions

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Phoenix cried. Everyone went silent and turned around to stare at him.

"This… this can't be happening!" He grabbed a bottle of wine from the nearest table and glugged it down in one.

"Nick… please, just calm down!" said Maya, trying to grab his arm. He pushed her away and threw the bottle to the floor before running out of the building.

"Oh dear," said Edgeworth, "I think he's had too much alcohol."

"I need to find him!" said Maya desperately, "What if he does something stupid?"

"Knowing Wright, that's a possibility," Edgeworth agreed, "Come on, let's catch up with him!"

The two of them sprinted towards the door. "I'm coming too, I'm his best mate!" Larry screeched, running after them.

As they ran through the corridor, Maya noticed that Mia and Godot had stop talking and were now kissing passionately. She supposed that must be a goods sign, even if he was technically making out with Pearl, but she had no time for that now…

They burst out into the cool evening air and looked around, panting. There was no sign of Phoenix anywhere.

"Hey, look!" said Larry, pointing to a knocked-over dustbin by the edge of a footpath, "I bet Nick knocked that over!"

"OK, let's go that way!" said Maya. The three of them ran down the footpath; it led them to a deserted road. Up in the distance was a fast-flowing river with a bridge built across it, and stood on the bridge was a familiar spiky-hair silhouette.

"Nick!" Maya cried. She sped towards him as fast as she could.

"Don't come near me, Maya!" he said, "Just go away!"

"What are you doing, Wright?" Edgeworth demanded.

"Shut up, Edgeworth!" Phoenix got up and stood on the railings at the side of the bridge.

"You're not going to jump, are you?" Larry said in disbelief.

"Maybe I will!" said Phoenix, "Since everything's already messed up!"

Maya was crying. "Nick, please, don't do this! Just get down from there!"

"You've had too much to drink, Wright," said Edgeworth, "And, frankly, you're behaving like a twit. Just get down, this instant!"

Phoenix swayed a bit. "No!"

"Aw, man, you look so stupid right now!" said Larry, "If you kill yourself, you're so gonna regret it in the morning!"

"There won't be a morning for me!" said Phoenix, "It's all over!"

"Don't you want our baby to have a father?" Maya wailed, "Do you want to ruin another life too?"

"I don't care! My life's already ruined thanks to you!" He pointed a shaky finger at Maya.

"Hey, don't blame my cute lil Maya!" said Larry, "You're the one who shoulda used a condom! Even a stud like me always uses contraception, Nick!"

"Hmm, for once he's speaking some sense," said Edgeworth, "Well apart from the bit about him being a 'stud'. But anyway, Wright, you are as much to blame as Maya, if not more!"

Phoenix's legs wobbled. He didn't really know what to say.

"Nick, be careful! You'll fall!" said Maya.

"Now come on down from there!" Edgeworth took Phoenix by the arm and eased him back down onto the ground. "There. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Phoenix shook his head.

"Maya, why don't you head back to the party? You look pale, you need to sit down," said Edgeworth, "I'll take Wright for a walk in the woods to sober up a little before he starts acting irrationally again."

"Ok. Thanks, Mr Edgeworth." Maya started walking back towards the footpath which had led them there.

"Can I come on the walk too, Edgey?" Larry asked, "I'm his best friend too, after all!"

"Fine," said Edgeworth, "I suppose it's pointless to argue with you, Larry. Come along then."

The three old friends started walking towards the path which led into a peaceful woodland walk.

"So, what are you going to do about this situation, Wright?" said Edgeworth, "I believe she wishes to keep the child, so it is your duty to support her."

"Y-yeah…" Phoenix agreed, "It's just that… I don't know anything about being a dad! I never thought I'd have to think about something like this for at least a few years."

"Hey, it's not that hard!" said Larry, "You just take 'em to football and stuff, help out with some homework – simple!"

"I think there's more to it than that, Larry," said Edgeworth, "To be a father, you have a responsibility to love and protect your child-"

"I bet you'll be a better Dad than me then, Edgeworth," said Phoenix.

"I'm not the one who's going to be a father, though," he replied.

"Yes you are! Don't you remember what I told you earlier? Franziska's pregnant!"

"Really? I thought that was just a mix-up!"

"No, she really is pregnant! Maya heard it from Franziska herself, so it's got to be true!"

"Oh!" Edgeworth stopped walking, looking a bit faint. "Well… that's certainly… I don't suppose there's any reason why Maya would lie about something like that…"

"See? You're gonna be a Daddy too, Edgeworth!" said Phoenix.

"Yes. I suppose I am. Although I thought Franziska and I were close enough that she would tell me about something like this…"

"Well, Maya kept it a secret for a while too, and I thought we were best friends!"

"So you and Franzy are actually dating?" asked Larry.

"Well, I'm not supposed to say, but I suppose if she's pregnant then it will all have to come out in the open anyway."

"Man, am I jealous! That Franzy is one feisty chick!" said Larry.

There was a long and awkward silence.

"So, d'you think I should get some girl knocked up so we can all be dads together?" Larry suggested, feeling a bit left out.

"Shut up, Larry," said Phoenix.

Back at the wedding reception, Maya found herself bombarded with questions.

"I thought you said you'd told him!" said Franziska, "Are you saying you've been lying all this time?"

"I… um…"

"Where did he run off to? What's going to happen now?" asked Maggey.

"What the heck is even going on, pal?" said Gumshoe.

"Can't you just leave me alone?" said Maya, "Please, I just want some space!"

Everyone decided to back off and left her sitting alone in the corner. The door of the hall opened and Pearl came in; obviously she'd just finished channelling Mia.

"Mystic Maya!" she said, "My mouth tastes like coffee! And there's a weird splodge on my neck!"

Maya looked at the red blotch on Pearl's skin. "I'm going to have a word with Mr Godot…"

She got up and easily spotted his glowing red mask over by the bar.

"Mr Godot! Do you realise you gave PEARL a love bite?"

He smirked. "Actually, I gave my kitten a love bite."

"Well, Pearl's got it now! And I really hope for her sake that you didn't do anything else with her body!"

"Hey, don't look at me like that!" said Godot, "I may be a sex god but I'm not some kind of paedophile!"

"Good," said Maya, crossing her arms; a creepy looking guy in a mask wasn't really her idea of a sex god, but whatever. She was considering whether to pursue the argument when Phoenix returned with Larry and Edgeworth.

"Franziska," said Edgeworth, walking over to where she was stood with Maggey. The whole room fell silent to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"What is it, Miles Edgeworth?"

"I just want you to know that I'll support you all the way and be the best father I can to out baby."

"What baby? What are you talking about, fool!" She put her hands on her hips, whip at the ready.

"Well… you're pregnant, aren't you?"

"No! What fool put that foolish idea into your foolishly foolish fool's brain?"

"Er… you told Maya, and she told Wright, and he told me!" Edgeworth explained, a little confused and worried now.

"I never told Maya Fey anything of the sort!" Franziska said, "She is the pregnant fool, not me!"

Maya turned bright red. It looked like her lies about Franziska had come back to bite her.

"So why would Maya make something like that up?" said Edgeworth. Everyone turned towards her.

"I… thought I heard Franziska say she was pregnant, but maybe I heard wrong!" said Maya.

"Maya Fey!" said Franziska, "How dare you make up foolish lies about me!" She leapt towards Maya and started attacking her with her whip.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Phoenix yelled, jumping in front of Franziska to protect Maya, "She's pregnant! You might harm the baby!"

"Nick?" Maya gasped. "Wow, so you're OK about me being pregnant?"

"Not really," he admitted, "But like Edgeworth said to me in the woods, it's a father's duty to protect and love his child. I got us into this mess, so I'll be there for you all the way."

"Oh, Nick!" cried Maya. She flung her arms around him and hugged him.

Franziska thought about whipping some more, but decided not to ruin their happy moment. Edgeworth appear beside her.

"I'm sorry for listening to that idiot Wright's gossip," he whispered, "It won't happen again, I promise."

"It's happened once, and that's one time too many," Franziska snapped, "You ought to know this has made me think twice about our relationship, Miles Edgeworth."

"But Franziska-" His voice trailed off. She'd already walked away.


	7. DIY

"Can I get you a drink, Maggey?" asked Maya.

"No thanks, I had a bottle of coke before I got here," Maggey replied, sitting down on the couch opposite Maya. "Your house is really lovely!" She looked around at the intricate Japanese characters painted on the walls and the faded scroll which hung above the doorway.

"Thanks!" said Maya, "There are so many Fey family heirlooms here, I have to be really careful all the time in case I break them!"

"Ha ha… I'd better not knock that scroll off the wall…" said Maggey, thinking back to her wedding day when the tapestry came tumbling down on half the guests.

"So, how's married life?" Maya asked.

"It's great! Our honeymoon was fantastic… although I would've liked to go abroad, but still. Camping is fun too!"

"Aww, I'm glad you and Detective Gumshoe had a nice time!"

"And what about you?" said Maggey, "How are things coming along with Phoenix?"

"Not too bad actually," said Maya with a smile, "He's out in the garden. I… think he's building a cot for the baby." At this she looked a little doubtful.

"A cot? Wow! Is he good at DIY?"

"I'm not sure… maybe we should go and check up on him…" Maya suggested. Maggey nodded and they stood up. Maya directed Maggey towards the large oriental garden out the back of Fey Manor.

Phoenix had laid out several planks of wood and a variety of woodwork tools across the lawn. There was a power cable trailing out from the house connecting to some kind of drill which he seemed to be waving about a lot. Pearl was stood a safe distance away, smiling happily as she watching Mister Nick putting together the cot which they'd designed together.

"Hey, Maya!" Phoenix said, turning off his drill as he noticed her approaching, "Oh, hi Maggey!"

"Hello Phoenix," said Maggey, "Maya said you were making a cot…" She looked down at the jumble of wood which he'd haphazardly screwed together and tried to look impressed, "It seems to be coming along well!"

"Yeah, it's been easier than I thought!" He showed Maggey a large sheet of paper on which Pearl had drawn a wonky cot, decorated with sequins and stickers. "It looks just how we planned it so far, don't you think?"

"Um… Nick… how does the baby get in to the cot?" Maya asked, raising her eyebrows at the mess on the lawn.

"You put it in there, of course!" said Phoenix, "Obviously it can't get in there by itself!"

"Yeah, but how do you put it in? It looks more like a cage than a cot!" Maya pointed out.

"Oh." Phoenix's face fell. "Huh. I guess it's not as good as I thought. Stupid cot." He sighed and kicked over a pot of screws.

"Hey, don't get so upset, Nick!" said Maya, "I'm supposed to be the stressed-out hormonal one, not you!"

"But Maya, I just wanted to make something for the baby, and it's all gone wrong!" he aimed a kick at the failed cot and ended up stubbing his toe.

"Well, I think it's wonderful!" said Pearl, "Don't give up, Mister Nick! You'll get there in the end!"

"You really think so?" said Phoenix, looking a bit happier. He turned to Maggey. "Do you think it will turn out OK?"

"Um…" she bit her lip, not wanting to disappoint him, "Er… yeah! Good job so far!"

Phoenix grinned and picked up his drill, "Ok, so I'll fix this up in no time! Just you wait and see, Maya!"

"Y-yeah!" she smiled weakly, wondering how he planned to 'fix up' the huge wreck he'd constructed, "Go Nick! Come on Maggey, let's go back inside…"

As they walked inside, Maya made a mental note to buy a proper cot sometime.

"So, how is Franziska?" Maya asked as they sat down in the spacious living area of Fey Manor.

Maggey sighed. "She still hates you. And Edgeworth. Actually she seems to hate me too, although I haven't done anything wrong!"

"I'm sure she'll get over it soon," said Maya, "I mean, me and Edgeworth hardly did anything wrong! And how long can she hold a grudge against us for?"

"Knowing Franziska von Karma, probably until the day you die."

"Good point." Maya wondered if there was any way she could get Franziska to forgive her for the whole lying-about-Franziska-being-pregnant issue. She couldn't think of anything.

"Oh, look at the time!" said Maggey after glancing at her watch, "I really need to get going, we're visiting Dick's grandparents this afternoon…"

"Ok, see you soon!"

Meanwhile, Franziska was sat alone in her office, tapping a pen on the desk in frustration. She kept staring at the phone.

Honestly, when was Miles Edgeworth going to call her? She was surprised that he hadn't come grovelling with a pathetic apology yet, but it would only be a matter of time.

There was a sharp knock on the office door.

"Come in," Franziska snapped. The door opened to reveal Miles Edgeworth himself carrying a stack of files.

"The chief prosecutor asked me to bring you these concerning you most recent case," said Edgeworth.

"Ah. I was expecting these. Put them away in there, I shall see to them later." She pointed to a polished mahogany filing cabinet. "Top drawer, place them on the left."

"Put them there yourself," said Edgeworth rudely. He threw the files down in the middle of her desk. How childishly he was behaving, thought Franziska.

"Hmph." She chose not to argue, as he seemed to be in a strange mood. "So, was there anything else you came here for?"

"No. Why else would I want to visit your office other than for work reasons, Franziska?" said Edgeworth, heading towards the door.

"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps you had something to say to me?"

"No. Nothing."

"Fine. You may leave."

"And so I shall," he said, gracefully swooping out of the office, closing the door a little too loudly behind him.

"Hm. Silly man," Franziska muttered to herself. Why on earth was he behaving like this? He ought to be down on his knees begging for forgiveness.

The day dragged by and still he offered no apology. Sat at home alone in her apartment. Franziska found herself actually missing him. She tried to push away these foolish feelings, but her hand kept twitching towards the phone…

"Miles Edgeworth speaking. Who is this?"

"It's Franziska. I was just wondering… why have you not yet tried to apologise for your foolish actions at the wedding?"

"You want to know why I haven't apologised? That's because it's just what you'd expect me to do, Franziska."

"What on earth do you mean, fool?"

"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" Edgeworth said, raising his voice, "You expect so much of me. I'm expected to let you constantly call me a fool and offend me. Yes, it's cute sometimes, but it's something I could really do without most of the time. And you expect me to never mess up, never to make a mistake, to do exactly what you ask of me – and when something goes wrong I'm supposed to come crawling back to you and let you gain the upper hand." He stopped for breath.

"What are you rambling about!" Franziska said, clutching the phone angrily.

"Look, I know I was stupid to believe what Wright said, but with Maya being pregnant it was difficult to know what to believe. And I agree I should have acted more rationally; but still, I refuse to apologise like an idiot and then let you boss me around. It's not worth it, not for a relationship which I'm not even allowed to tell anyone about."

"Oh, so that's why you're angry! It's because I want us to be kept a secret, isn't it?" Franziska growled.

"Well, wouldn't you be angry?" Edgeworth demanded, "Everything has to be so secretive all the time, we have to act a certain way in public, we have to meet in secret and nobody is allowed to find out or you get angry with me – and all to stop your father from finding out. He's in prison, for God's sake! What can he do to us? And you seem to be forgetting that this is the man who killed my father! Why on earth would I want to bother taking special precautions to keep a silly little secret from him?"

"Miles Edgeworth, calm down and – "

"No, I won't calm down. I've let you manipulate me for long enough, Franziska. It's over."

There was a dull bleep as he hung up the phone.

That night, Franziska von Karma cried herself to sleep.


	8. Surprise

"Urgh, so nervous…" Phoenix thought to himself. He flung the jeans he'd been about to put on onto his bed. He just couldn't decide between them and his smarter trousers; how smart was he supposed to look for this thing? Should he dress like it was a special occasion, or should he just look casual?

He picked up his mobile and called Maya for the third time that day.

"What is it now, Nick?" she whined, "I already told you, a blue T-shirt will be fine!"

"Yeah, but I'm stuck on the trousers…"

"Honestly, it really doesn't matter what you wear! We're going to a scan, not a wedding!"

"Ok. So… um… will I be too underdressed if I go in jeans?"

"No!" she almost yelled at him, "Just wear what you want, OK? And if you call me about your outfit again… you owe me ten burgers!"

Phoenix sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll stop calling – my wallet's empty enough without you guilt tripping me into more burgers. I'll see you at the station, OK?"

"Yeah, see you then!"

Maya hung up and Phoenix picked out his slightly crumpled favourite jeans, smoothing out the creases. He knew he shouldn't bother her about stupid little things like this, but sometimes he just felt so lost and inexperienced… then again, when he thought about it, Maya was only nineteen herself and she had probably expected to become a parent even less than him. He had to hand it to her, she was dealing with the whole thing pretty damn well.

On the train from Kurain village, Pearl could barely contain herself. "Oh Mystic Maya, I'm so excited! But are you sure they can really see the baby when it's inside your tummy?"

"Yes, Pearly, I'm sure."

"But can they really do that? It must be magic!"

"No, it's not magic. It's called Ultrasound."

"Ul-tra-sound…" Pearl said, "It sounds scary."

"You think so?" said Maya, "Well, I guess you did think a 'computer' sounded cute…"

"It does!" said Pearl happily, "When I'm older, can I have a computer? Will the baby have a computer? Do YOU have a computer?"

"Calm down!" said Maya; she was starting to get funny looks from the other people on the train, "I know you're excited about seeing the baby, but… if you're too loud, it will get scared!"

"Oh no! I'm so sorry, little baby!" Pearl gently patted Maya's slight bump, "Do you think she'll hate me now?"

Maya sighed. "How many times have I told you, it's not necessarily going to be a girl!"

"What is ness-ess-air-ee-lee?"

"It's… a big word for grown-ups. It means that the baby might be a boy."

"Oh." Pearl's little face fell. "But Mystic Maya, boys are always nasty."

"No they're not… what about Nick? He's a boy, and he's nice enough."

"He's not a boy, silly, he's a man! He must be, otherwise he couldn't make a baby with you because his balls wouldn't be big enough!"

Maya wondered what strange ideas about conception Pearl had in her head… more importantly, she wondered who had put those ideas there. Probably Larry.

The train loudspeaker reeled off the name of the next stop; it was the station where they'd be meeting Phoenix.

"Come on, Pearly, let's go and find Nick!" The two girls got off the train and looked around the platform. Phoenix was sat on a metal bench by the ticket office.

"Hello, Mister Nick!" Pearl ran up to him excitedly and flung her arms around him. "Mystic Maya says they're going to use an Ultersand to see the baby!"

"It's called Ultrasound," Phoenix corrected her, "So I'm guessing you're excited?"

"Yes!" Pearl jumped up and down a few times, "Mystic Maya said they'll even give us a pretty picture of the little baby!"

"Yeah, but remember Pearly, the picture might not be as… um… clear as you're hoping," Maya said. She knew that Pearl was bound to be disappointed by the fuzzy black-and-white pictures they'd receive from the scan.

"Yes, I know," said Pearl, "Don't worry, it's OK if the baby isn't smiling in the picture. I will stick it on my bedroom wall anyway!"

At the hospital, the three of them found seats in the waiting room, which was full of parents-to-be.

"Dessieeeeeee! I forgot to lock the front door!" Ron DeLite was screeching to his pregnant wife.

"Relax, Ronnie. I made sure I did it before we left."

"Oh, thankyou! I don't know what I'd do without you…" The two of them smiled happily into each others' eyes and Dessie put a hand protectively over her bump.

"Hey, Nick!" whispered Maya, "D'you think we should say hi?"

"Ok." They got up and walked over to where Ron and Dessie were sat. Phoenix cleared his throat.

Ron almost jumped out of his skin. "Don't scare meee like that!"

"Oh, it's Nicky boy and Maya!" said Dessie, "Fancy seeing you here!"

"Hey, Dessie!" Maya said, "Um… congratulations!"

"Thanks!" Dessie beamed with happiness, "I'm so excited to be pregnant, and Ronnie can't wait to be a Dad! So what are you doing here? Are you with your Mom?"

"Um… no, actually, I'm er…" Maya patted her own little bump, which was kind of hard to see under her acolyte clothing.

"Oh my gosh, sorry! I didn't notice!" Dessie looked shocked, "I… er… just didn't expect… well, congratulations! Is Nicky boy the lucky man?"

"Well, kind of…" said Maya, glancing at Phoenix. He looked a bit embarassed.

"Before you ask, there's NOTHING going on between me and Maya! This was all a huge mistake! I mean, as if we'd ever sleep together on purpose! That would just be disgusting!" Phoenix babbled.

"Um… yeah!" Maya agreed, although she looked a bit annoyed.

They were interrupted by the receptionist. "Mr and Mrs DeLite next, please!"

"Wish us luck!" said Dessie, giving them a quick thumbs up before she headed off for her scan.

Phoenix and Maya sat back down with Pearl, who was reading a magazine.

"Well, it was nice to see them again, wasn't it Nick?" said Maya, "Can you believe Dessie's pregnant too?"

"Yeah, I never thought of Ron as the fatherly type, but whatever…"

"I never thought of you as the fatherly type either Nick, but here we are…" Maya glanced distractedly at Pearl's magazine, "What are you reading?"

"Just a shiny book I found," said Pearl innocently, "What does 'addiction to cocaine' mean?"

"Maybe you shouldn't read that," said Maya, taking the cheap gossip magazine out of Pearl's hands and putting it back on the table.

"Mr and Mrs Wright?" said the receptionist.

"Jeez, I wish they'd hurry up and get to us," Maya grumbled.

"Um… I think that IS us," said Phoenix, "They must've got confused with our surnames."

"Oh." Maya frowned as they got up. "It's Miss Fey, actually," she told the receptionist on their way past.

Inside the ultrasound room, Maya was asked to lie down on a couch while Phoenix and Pearl took a seat beside her.

"Could you lift your top up please?" asked the doctor.

"Um… sure, but I'm kinda wearing a dress…"

"No need to be shy, just roll it all up! I'm sure your husband has seen your panties before," she joked.

Maya couldn't help blushing as she pulled her robe all the way up to just below her bra. Phoenix politely averted his eyes from her purple steel samurai underwear.

"I'm… actually not her husband," he corrected.

"Oh, sorry. Your boyfriend then."

"We're just friends!" said Maya firmly.

The doctor raised her eyebrows. "I see. So, I'm just going to put this gel on your bump so that the probe makes good contact with your body." She spread the gel across Maya's skin; she shivered at the coldness of it.

"Will we see magic pictures of the baby now?" Pearl asked shyly.

"Yes, in a minute…" The doctor got picked up the probe and slid it across Maya's round stomach. The images on the screen just seemed to be made up of fuzzy blobs. "Now, let's see…" She seemed to randomly move the probe around on Maya's skin, looking concerned.

"Is… something wrong?" Phoenix asked.

"Not… wrong, as such," the doctor said, "But… well… you're having twins!"

"WHAAAT?" gasped Maya, "But… no way! I can't have two babies! That's… that's ridiculous!"

"You mustn't see it as a bad thing – just think, you're getting two babies for the price of one! And you can spend twice as much time doing the things you enjoy with your baby… breastfeeding, cuddling, changing nappies…"

"Urgh…" Maya groaned, "What are we going to do?"

"It'll be alright," said Phoenix, "There are two of us, so two babies shouldn't be two hard. We'll share all the repsonsibilities!"

"Twice as much wailing! Twice as much money! Twice as many stinky nappies!"

"We'll work something out. You'll see!" Phoenix patted Maya's hand.

"They're fraternal twins, so at least you won't have to worry about them being identical," said the doctor, "Would you like to find out the genders?"

"Let's leave that until they're born," said Maya, "I mean, I've had enough surprises today, without finding out that I'm having too boys or something horrible like that!"

Phoenix frowned. "What's wrong with boys?"

"Can't you just imagine letting two little boys loose in the house? Those family heirlooms would be doomed!" said Maya.

"I expect it's a girl and boy. I'll help look after the girl, and Mister Edgeworth can help with the boy!" Pearl offered.

"Um… they might not be a girl and boy," said Phoenix, "And to be honest, I can't see Edgeworth changing nappies."

"I'll make him!" said Pearl aggressively, rolling up her sleeve.

"Thanks, Pearl…" said Maya weakly.

As soon as they left the room, Pearl slapped Phoenix in the face. Hard.

"Mister Nick! How dare you give Mystic Maya two sperms instead of one?"

Maya decided she needed to have a talk with whoever had tried giving Pearl sex education lessons. "Um… Pearly… what exactly do you know about, er, sperms?"

"I know all about them!" Pearl said happily, "You see, when boys grow up they get two balls which have sperms swimming inside waiting to make babies! And one day when Mister Nick gives you a hug, he does a special wee and a sperm swims up your bottom and puts a baby in your tummy!"

"Who the heck told you that?" Maya exclaimed.

"Mister Detective Dick!"

"Oh, that explains a lot." No wonder her ideas about reproduction were so muddled; maybe soon it would be time she gave Pearl 'the talk'. Maya shuddered at the prospect.

They went back to Wright & Co Law Offices to find Larry outside.

"Larry? What are you doing here?" Phoenix asked.

"I stopped by to say hi… my Carlie's gone to Tenerife and I was feeling lonely."

"Oh, right. Another model?"

"She's more than just a model!" Larry shrieked, "She's my babe!"

"Whatever," said Phoenix, rolling his eyes, "Hey, guess what – we're having twins."

"Seriously? That's mega cool!"

"You think so?" said Maya in disbelief, "More like a mega nightmare!"

"Hey, can I come to Kurain this weekend?" Phoenix asked, "I've got two cots to build now, so I'd better get to work!"

"Um, about the cots…" Maya began, but Larry butted in.

"You gonna let me in or what? I'm starving!"

Phoenix sighed. "Oh, so you're staying for dinner now?"

"Sure, since you're offering!" Larry said happily.

They ordered two extra-large pizzas; one for Maya, and one for everyone else.

"Wow, Maya, I've never seen a chick eat so fast!" Larry said, sounding impressed as Maya swallowed the last crumb of pizza.

"I've got an extra big appetite now I'm eating for two – I mean three!" she said, "Wow, can you believe I've actually got two little monsters growing in here?" She poked her bump.

"Don't poke the babies, Mystic Maya!" Pearl said protectively, "The little girl is very sensitive!"

They all laughed while Pearl pouted.

"Hey, you got pictures?" Larry asked, "I wanna see what your kids look like! I bet they've got totally spacked up hair like you, Nick."

"Thanks," Phoenix said sarcastically, "But Larry, I don't think they have hair yet." He got out the photo from the scan and showed it too him.

"Hey, that sucks! You can't even see anything!" Larry jabbed the picture with his finger, "As an artist, I know what a decent picture should look like!"

"Larry, it's an ultrasound scan!" said Phoenix, "It's not going to look like a perfect photo!"

"Mister Larry is right, this doesn't even look like babies," said Pearl, "It doesn't even have any colours! Will your babies come out in black and white, Mystic Maya?"

Maya shrugged. "Maybe, I don't know."

"Whatever. I'm sticking this by my desk," said Phoenix. He found some blu-tack and stuck it over the top of Maya's Steel Samurai poster.

"Nick, you can't put it there!" she yelled, "That poster cost ten dollars!"

"What a rip off!" said Phoenix, "The baby picture looks much better, anyway."

He sat back down and took another slice of pizza.

"So, have you dudes thought about names yet?" asked Larry, "Cos, y'know, 'Larry' is a pretty awesome name for a little boy or girl!"

"Who would call a girl 'Larry'?" Phoenix laughed.

"I dunno, maybe it could be short for Larina or something? Either way, that name would totally rock for one or both of your kids."

"Er… somehow I don't think I'll call them both 'Larry'," Maya said.

"Well, it's a Fey tradition to give your children a name beginning with 'M'," said Pearl, "You ought to follow it, especially as one of these twins will be the future master!"

"Your name doesn't begin with M," Phoenix pointed out to Pearl.

"Yes, but I'm not the future master," she retorted.

"Oh yeah. Um… how about Morgan?" Phoenix suggested, saying the first 'M' that came into his head.

"Already taken," said Maya, "My evil aunt, remember?"

"Oh yeah, how could I forget that old hag?"

"A-are you talking about my mother?" Pearl said tearfully.

"No! Of course not! We were talking about… another Morgan! A really, really nasty one!" said Maya.

"OK! Well, there are plenty of other M names, like… er…" Pearl fell silent, deep in thought.

"Melissa? Melanie? Megan? Maggie? Mindy? Mandy? Mollie? Minnie?" said Larry, "Wow, I've never dated a Minnie before. She sounds hot!"

"Hmm, I don't know," Maya said, "None of them take my fancy. Maybe we should broaden our horizons a bit and just think of general names. Let's see… I know, we could give them bird names, like Nick! How about… Sparrow and Wren?"

"No way!" Phoenix objected, "Seriously, I'd never inflict a bird name on my kids. My childhood sucked enough – I'm not letting them suffer years of teasing as well!" he glared at Larry.

"Hey, I've never teased you about your name!"

"Liar!"

"Birdbrain!"

"Hey, stop arguing, guys!" said Maya, "So, we can rule out any bird names. At least that narrows things down a bit on our names list!"

"What exactly was on the list in the first place?"

"Oh, pretty much everything. But now it's pretty much everything minus bird names!" she said, "Now let's go through and eliminate some more! We've got all evening, after all!"

Phoenix sighed. "This is going to be a long evening…"


	9. Invitations

Phoenix shivered a bit as he got off of the Kurain bus; December had arrived and it was getting cold. Pretty soon there would probably be heaps of snow in Kurain, but for now there was just a sparkly coating of frost on everything. From a distance it was pretty, but close up it just made Phoenix feel even colder.

He wrapped his arms around himself as the doorbell rang, trying to warm up a bit. Fey Manor wasn't exactly the world's best insulated building and it was generally pretty chilly inside too.

"Nick! I was wondering when you'd show up!" Maya said happily, "Come on in!"

She pulled the heavy wooden door shut behind him and they went into the living room. There was a heap of books strewn across the table, with titles like: "Baby Names: A-Z" and "Parenting for Dummies."

Maya noticed Phoenix staring. "I went down to the nearest bookshop," she explained, "I thought I should, y'know, read up on some of this baby stuff before the twins pop out!"

"I don't think they'll just 'pop out', Maya," said Phoenix, "It's probably a lot more painful than that."

Maya groaned. "Please, don't remind me. I'll deal with that when I get to it, OK?"

"OK," Phoenix agreed, "So we won't talk of the pain of childbirth for now."

They sat down on the couch and Maya poured them both a glass of water from a jug on the table.

"So, how are the cots?" Phoenix asked as they drank, "You did put them somewhere sheltered like I asked, didn't you? I don't want them getting all frosty."

Maya laughed nervously. "Yeah, of course! They're… um… tucked away at the back of the garden."

"Good."

She felt slightly guilty as she contemplated telling Phoenix that she'd actually sold the two 'cots' to some boys from the village so they could make themselves a climbing frame, but decided she would save the news for another day.

"Will you be coming down to the city anytime soon?" Phoenix asked, "I mean, you haven't visited for a while. Larry misses you!"

"Oh no, not Larry!" said Maya sarcastically, "Maybe soon. But I prefer just to chill out around Kurain – I mean, I'm getting pretty big now in case you haven't noticed."

Phoenix had certainly noticed. He made sure to visit Maya at least three times a week now that she was living here in Kurain all the time, and the change in her size was enormous. What had once been a little tiny bump, barely noticeable, was now huge and round.

"Can you still see your toes when you stand up?" Phoenix joked.

"Kinda, if I bend a bit."

"Oh, and I bought something!" Phoenix suddenly said. He reached into the carrier bag he'd brought with him and showed Maya a heap of baby clothes in different shades of blue and pink, all matching. "There was a sale at the department store in the baby section, so I thought I'd buy an outfit or two and kind of got carried away…"

Maya admired the dinky little dungarees and booties. "Aww, that's so cute! But what if they're not a girl and a boy? Half the clothes will be wasted!"

"Well, if they're both girls then one can wear blue," said Phoenix, "And if they're both boys… well, I guess one will have to dress in pink!"

"Yeah! That would so cool, like… breaking the baby stereotypes! Hey, maybe we could have a girl dressed in blue and a boy dressed in pink!" Maya said excitedly.

"I was joking, you know…"

"Oh. Right. I knew that!" Maya seemed a bit disappointed, "Anyway, that's something to cross off the baby checklist!"

"We have a baby checklist?"

"I got it off the internet," said Maya, "It says all the stuff you need if you're expecting a baby!" She found a crumpled sheet of paper from the pile of books and showed it to him. "See? I printed it out and I've been trying to get as much stuff as I can!"

Phoenix looked down at the long list. "Do we really need all these things?"

"According to the website!"

"Oh. Um… if you've been trying to get as much stuff as you can, why is nothing ticked off?" he asked.

"Um… I just haven't got round to buying anything yet. But I've circled things in catalogues for you to order!" Maya picked up a catalogue titled 'The Baby Directory' and shoved it in his face. "You need to call the phone number printed inside the front cover and tell them the reference numbers of all the things I've circled. Then you say you're credit card number and-"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Phoenix interrupted, "I'm paying for all of it? I thought we were going to split the costs between us!"

"Yeah, well, I'm only a spirit medium – I don't have a huge income!" said Maya, "When I agreed to 'split the costs', I only meant that I would buy the occasional pack of nappies or baby food. You can take care of the expensive stuff!"

"But Maya, it's all going to add up to so much! And I'm not exactly rich either…"

"Look, Nick. I'm a pregnant spirit medium with no family to support me who can't even work right now since you can't channel while you're pregnant. You have a proper job as a lawyer – you even own an office! I think you're in a better position to pay for this stuff than me."

"I guess so," Phoenix admitted, "But technically I don't own the office, I just pay rent-"

"Nick, YOU WILL BUY THIS STUFF. And that is final." Maya angrily threw the catalogue into his lap.

"Hey, calm down-"

"I AM CALM!"

"Ok…" Phoenix looked at her nervously; Maya was scary sometimes.

"Well, aren't you going to call the number?" she asked, opening the front page and jabbing the phone number with her finger.

"Now?"

"Yes."

Phoenix gulped; ever since she'd got pregnant, Maya kept having these weird mood swings where she got really, really scary. He got out his cell phone and dialled the number.

"Hello? This is the baby directory phone order service. How may I help you?"

"Um… can I order some things?"

"Of course. I'll need to take your full name and credit card details…"

Eventually the horrific process was over. Phoenix could almost see the numbers on his bank account dropping as he ordered the many things which Maya had circled.

"Yay! Thanks Nick, you're the best!" said Maya, completely cheered up. She hugged him.

"Did we really need to spend so much money?" Phoenix was still in shock after the woman on the phone had totalled up the price of all the items Maya had chosen.

"Yes! We only want the best for our little twins!" Maya insisted. She got out a pen and started ticking things off of the baby checklist. "Ok, so we've only got about half the list to go! Well done!"

"H-half?" Phoenix stuttered, "You mean, we need to buy even more stuff…?"

"Oh yes!" said Maya, "Hey, next time I come down to the city we're going baby shopping. OK?"

Phoenix sighed; he clearly had no choice. "OK."

For the next few minutes, Maya flicked happily through the baby names book. Phoenix pondered to himself how exactly he would ask her the thing which was on his mind.

"So, what do you think?" Maya was saying.

"Um… pardon?"

"Do you like the name David for a boy?"

"Yeah, I guess it's alright," said Phoenix, "Sorry, I was daydreaming."

"About what?"

"Well… I actually need to ask you something…" he began.

"Ooh, what? Are we going out for burgers?"

"No!" Phoenix rolled his eyes, "The thing is, my parents called this morning."

"Really?" Maya's eyes widened, "Actually, I've never heard much about your parents! Do they know they're going to be grandparents?"

"Well, of course. I couldn't exactly not tell them I'm going to be a dad, right?"

"Yeah, I guess not," said Maya sadly, "I wish my parents knew. But… well… k'now."

"I'm sure they're watching you, wherever they are," Phoenix said softly, "They're probably really proud of you."

"Thanks. But you can't actually watch people from the spirit world, so they don't have a clue."

"Oh. Right."

There was an awkward silence.

"So anyway, what did you want to tell me about your parents?" Maya asked.

"They invited me to stay this Christmas… and they invited you too."

"Really? That's so kind!" said Maya, "Wow! Where do they live? Do they have a nice house?"

"Yeah, they live in this kind of sleepy little town about an hour away from the city. They bought a nice big house out there when my Dad quit his office job and opened a bakery."

"Your Dad… is a baker?" Maya said in amazement, "Wow! Why didn't you tell me before? We could've visited and got free cakes and everything!"

"So you want to come?" said Phoenix, "You don't have any other arrangements or anything? It wouldn't be better for you to stay at home for Christmas?"

"No… why? It sounds like you don't want me to come!"

"I do, it's just… well… my parents are kind of old fashioned in some ways. And I kind of told them you're my girlfriend. They think it's bad enough that I'm having a baby with you and we're not married, so they'd kill me if they found out that we're not even dating or anything…"

"Oh. I see," said Maya, "Hmm. Well, I guess the only option is we'll have to play along with it. I'm sure I can pretend to be your girlfriend for a few days or however long we're staying!"

"Really?" Phoenix was surprised at easily she was taking this, "OK. I expect we can manage that. We don't have to kiss or anything, just act the part and they won't be any the wiser."

"Yep! It'll be easy!" Maya actually seemed quite excited about it now. "So I guess when you're my boyfriend for the week, you'll have to take me out for burgers whenever I ask, right?"

"I already do that because you whinge until I give in."

"Huh, I guess you do." Maya paused for a moment, thinking. "Hmm. Will we have to sleep in the same bed?"

"Oh crap, I didn't think of that," said Phoenix, "Er… well, there's a sofa in the spare bedroom. I'll make up a bed for you on there and we can hide it in the mornings so my parents don't see."

"Excuse me? I'M sleeping on the sofa? I'm the pregnant one here, I think I deserve the bed!"

"Fine, I'll have the sofa."

"Yay!" Maya hugged him again. She seemed awfully keen on hugging him today.

"Why d'you keep hugging me?" Phoenix asked.

"I only hugged you twice, donut-brain! And anyway, it'll be good practice for when we're at your parents' house!" Maya pulled Phoenix's arm around her shoulders. "This should fool them!" She leaned in closer so her head was resting on his chest.

Phoenix raised his eyebrows; this certainly felt awkward. "Um… yeah. But let's save that for Christmas, OK?" He pulled away.

"Oh. OK."

There was another awkward silence. Phoenix wondered at her strange behaviour; one minute she was yelling in his ear and forcing him to spend large amounts of money, the next she was cuddling him. It was probably just hormones.

"Oh, and there's one more thing I needed to tell you," said Phoenix, "There's a Christmas party down at the police station next Saturday for lawyers and detectives, and we've both been invited."

"Cool!" said Maya, "Is it fancy dress?"

"I don't think so… at least, I hope not. I didn't read the invitation properly, but it's in my pocket." He pulled it out and handed it to Maya.

"Yay! It says 'fancy dress', right there!"

Phoenix at where she was pointing. Oh no – she was right!

"No. Way. I am NOT dressing up!" he said.

"If you don't dress up you'll look like a total scrooge!"

"I'd rather be a scrooge than look like an idiot any day, thanks…"

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun! Besides, you kind of owe me this, since I'm gonna be helping you lie to your parents and everything…"

"Oh. Alright then."

"Yay! Next time I come to the city, we're going to the fancy dress shop!" Maya grinned, "Hmmm, what should I dress up as? I know, the virgin Mary!"

"Er… why?"

"Duh, cos I'm pregnant and it's nearly Christmas! That would be a totally awesome outfit!"

"It would?" said Phoenix, "Um… what does the virgin Mary wear, anyway?"

"A tea towel on her head," Maya said matter-of-factly.

"Uh huh. Well, it's your choice, I guess…"

"And what about you, Nick? I know, you can be the Angel Gabriel! You'd look really cute with a halo!"

"No thanks. Can't I dress as a normal person?"

"That's boring!" Maya whined, "You really are a scrooge, Nick! But don't worry, I'll think of something…"

Phoenix gulped. What on earth would she make him dress up as…?


	10. Under the Mistletoe

"Nick, get the door!" Maya yelled, sprawled out on the sofa in front a repeat episode of the Steel Samurai.

"Fine, fine…" Phoenix reluctantly got up from his desk to answer the door.

Through the frosted glass of the door he could see a male figure dressed in dark pink; only one person wore that colour.

"Edgeworth, hi!" said Phoenix, opening the door to let the prosecutor in, "Come on in, have a drink!"

"Oh, if you insist…" Edgeworth came into the office, "Ah, Maya and Pearl are here too!"

Maya tore her eyes away from the TV screen for a moment. "Mr Edgeworth! Wow, it's been ages since I last saw you!"

"It's… good to see you," said Edgeworth, "My, you've certainly come a long way…" He gestured towards her baby bump.

"Yeah, I know! I can't believe that so soon I'll have my own baby!" She affectionately patted the bump.

"I'm going to be its Auntie Pearly!" Pearl said happily.

"I'm sure you'll make a good aunt," said Edgeworth, "Might I sit down?"

"Sure," said Phoenix. "What d'you want to drink? Tea? Coffee?"

"I'll have a tea, please," he replied politely, sitting on the empty armchair. Phoenix wandered into the kitchen to make drinks.

Maya picked up the remote and paused the episode she was watching. "I'll save that for later! So, um… what are you doing here?"

"Well, I was just on the way back from the dry cleaners and I thought I'd stop by," he explained, "I was wondering if you had been invited to the police department Christmas party tonight?"

"Oh, yeah! Me and Nick are definitely going!" Maya said excitedly, "I've got the best outfit ever sorted out! And we're going fancy-dress shopping later to get Nick an outfit too, it'll be amazing!"

"Oh, really?" Edgeworth looked faintly amused at the idea of Phoenix in fancy dress. "I wasn't sure whether to go myself. I mean, I'm expected to attend, but I'm sure Franziska will be there too, and… well…"

"Oh, so things are still a bit… tense?" said Maya.

"Hmm, you could say that. We haven't actually spoken for several weeks."

"Oh. Right." Maya considered this for a moment. "Well, I think you should go anyway! Dress up and show her that you're fine without her – just go along and have a good time!"

"Maybe I will," Edgeworth said, "But still… mightn't I look a fool, dressing up? What on earth would I dress as?"

"Huh. I don't know."

Pearl meanwhile was looking at the carrier bag which Edgeworth had brought with him.

"What is in that bag, Mister Edgeworth?" she asked.

"Oh, just a few suits. I picked them up from the dry cleaners before coming here, you see."

"Oh." Pearl bit on her thumbnail, thinking. Her eyes suddenly lit up. She leaned over to Maya and whispered something in her ear.

"Wow, yes!" said Maya, grinning, "Mr Edgeworth, I know what you can dress up as!"

"Really? What?"

"Just… come with me, OK? I promise, you'll love it!" She heaved herself up off of the sofa and grabbed Edgeworth by the arm. As she dragged him away, she winked at Pearl.

Once they were out of sight, Pearl got up and rushed towards the carrier bag. She took something out and hid it behind the back of the sofa.

When Phoenix came back in with a tray of drinks, everyone had returned to their seats.

"What took you so long, Nick?" asked Maya, "I'm dying of thirst here!"

"Oh, Larry called a few minutes ago and I got distracted. He broke up with his girlfriend… again…" He put down the tray on the coffee table and looked around at the three people sat around him. "You all look a bit… shifty. You haven't stolen anything, have you?"

"N-no!" said Maya, a bit too quickly. Phoenix narrowed his eyes. "Honestly, what would I want to steal from you, Nick? You're poor, and all your stuff sucks!" she argued.

"Thanks," he said, "So, are we still going baby shopping later?"

"Yep!"

"And… do we still have to go to the fancy dress shop…?"

"Um… well, actually, I already brought you an outfit from the fancy dress shop in Kurain!" said Maya.

He looked at her suspiciously. "There isn't a fancy dress shop in Kurain, Maya."

"Y-yeah there is! There's a new one which opened… er… yesterday!"

"No there's not, Mystic Maya," said Pearl, "We got Mister Nick's outfit from-"

"Shhh!" Maya said quickly, "Just go along with it, OK?"

Edgeworth and Phoenix exchanged a confused look; neither of them knew what Maya and Pearl were up to.

A mug of tea later, Edgeworth left, promising to see them later at the party. As soon as he was gone, Phoenix confronted the two girls.

"What the heck are you going to make me wear tonight? And why were you lying about there being a fancy dress shop in Kurain?" he demanded.

"Hey, calm down! All will be revealed now that Edgeworth's gone!" said Maya, "Pearly, show him!"

Pearl reached behind the sofa and pulled something out.

"Oh!" said Phoenix, "Right. Hmm. Actually… that's not a bad idea!"

That evening, the three of them returned to the office with bags full of baby items. Phoenix's wallet felt considerably lighter after their shopping spree.

"Well, that was fun!" said Maya, "We should do it again sometime! And next time we should go to the burger place three times – two burger breaks just weren't enough!"

Phoenix sighed. "Maybe. I'll think about it. But we've got most of the stuff we need for the baby now, right?"

Maya pulled out her checklist. "Yep! But this checklist is only for a newborn baby… wait til you see the next list!"

"Oh, no…" he groaned, "Let's save that for some other time, OK?"

Pearl looked at the clock. "Hey, you two need to get changed into your outfits! You need to be ready in time for the party tonight!"

"Pearly, you're right!" said Maya, "Come on, let's go and get changed! We're going to look awesome together!"

"You think so?" said Phoenix, "Our outfits don't really go together…"

"You'll look lovely!" said Pearl, "Just like a sweet, happy couple!"

Phoenix didn't feel sweet or happy as he parked his car outside the police department. He was starting to doubt that wearing this outfit was a good idea; in fact, he was dreading seeing Edgeworth's reaction.

The doorway had been hung with tinsel and Detective Gumshoe was in the doorway giving out glasses of champagne. He was wearing a Santa costume, complete with a curly white beard.

"Hey, pal! You look great!" he said, "That cravat really suits you!"

"Um… thanks." Phoenix looked down at his outfit; the pink suit and frilly cravat weren't really his thing, and he didn't think the outfit suited him at all. He wondered what Edgeworth would be wearing.

"Your outfit is cool too!" said Maya, "You have just the right build for Santa!"

"Thanks, pal!" said Gumshoe, "Hey… wait! Is that an insult?"

"No, not at all!" she said, "So… d'you like my virgin Mary outfit?"

"Oh, so that's why you have a tea towel on your head!" said Gumshoe.

Phoenix took a glass of champagne and they went on in to the party. Immediately he spotted Franziska, wearing a short green elf dress and a little cap with pointy red boots. Phoenix couldn't help thinking she actually looked… pretty cute.

"Um… hi, Franziska…" said Maya nervously. The two of them hadn't spoken since Maggey's wedding, which had been quite a long time ago by now.

"Ah, Phoenix Wright!" she said, completely blanking Maya, "I see you have chosen to dress yourself a little more smartly than usual."

"Y-yeah…" Phoenix said, blushing. Her legs were very nice, he noticed. "You look… great!"

"Why, thank you," said Franziska, "And merry Christmas."

Phoenix grinned sheepishly.

"So, you decided to leave your whip at home?" Maya joked. Franziska aimed an icy glare at her and then continued to ignore her.

"Still, Phoenix Wright, I don't see why a man like yourself would choose to dress as a fool like Miles Edgeworth."

"Well, it's kinda for a joke, I guess…" said Phoenix, "I mean, I don't really want to look like Edgeworth…"

Franziska giggled; Maya almost did a double take. Why was Franziska… giggling?

"Hehe. Yes, well, he can't really compare to you… can he now?" she said.

Maya was starting to get annoyed. If she didn't know better, she'd think that Franziska was flirting with Phoenix. But that was impossible, surely?

"Hey, Nick! There's Edgeworth!" she said, tugging on his sleeve, "Let's go and say hi, OK?"

"OK… see you later," said Phoenix to Franziska. Maya could've sworn she saw Franziska wink.

Phoenix was the one who did a double take this time, when he saw what Edgeworth was wearing.

"Huh? Edgeworth? But… that's…" he gestured speechlessly at the royal blue suit and red tie of Edgeworth's fancy dress costume.

"Wright! Why on earth are you wearing my clothes!" said Edgeworth angrily.

"I could ask you the same thing!"

"Well, Maya kindly lent me this outfit earlier today! Now, how did you get hold of my suit?"

"Pearl gave it to me!" said Phoenix, "She borrowed it from your dry cleaning bag when you came to the office this morning!"

Both of them turned to Maya. "Did you set this up so we'd be dressed as each other?" asked Phoenix.

"Yep! Surprise!" said Maya, "I'm so smart, right?"

Edgeworth shook his head in disbelief. "Well, you'd better not get that suit dirty, Wright. And you're paying for it to be dry cleaned and delivered back to me when you're done with it!"

"Fine! But only if you get MY suit dry cleaned too!" Phoenix retorted.

"Ha, I think not! A cheap suit like this does not need to be dry cleaned! It would be cheaper just to buy a new suit!"

"Hey, I'm not THAT cheap!" said Phoenix, "For your information, that suit cost me-"

"Whoa, don't argue, you two!" said Maya, "Let's just have a good evening, OK?"

"Alright," Edgeworth agreed, "So, have you seen… er… Franziska?"

"Yeah, she's dressed as a cute elf," said Phoenix, "We were talking to her a few minutes ago, weren't we Maya?"

"Yes," said Maya, "But did you notice her acting a bit… weird?"

"No, not really," said Phoenix, "She seemed normal to me."

"Oh." Maya skimmed her eyes across the room and focussed on Franziska, who was in conversation with some other prosecutors but seemed to be watching them. Maya looked away; it was probably nothing.

Franziska continued to observe Phoenix. Truthfully, he interested her very little and she found him somewhat repulsive. But all the same, he seemed to be falling for her charms tonight… and if she succeeded, he would be the perfect way to make Miles Edgeworth jealous. It would only be a matter of time before he realised what he was missing and she had him wrapped around her little finger again…

Later that evening, Maya found herself to be pretty much the only sober person. She sat on a chair by the wall while everyone else did a drunken conga around the room. The music boomed as Phoenix danced clumsily past; Franziska's arms were on his waist. This was ridiculous, Maya thought. Sure, Franziska was a bit tipsy, but surely she would rather die than flirt with Phoenix?

Several minutes later, the conga broke up. Franziska and Phoenix went over to the bar.

"Huh. Maya's staring at us," said Phoenix.

"Forget her," Franziska snapped, "Come on, drinks are on me!"

"'K, sounds good…" Phoenix stumbled a bit and Franziska grabbed his arms to steady him.

She bought a couple of drinks and handed one to Phoenix.

"Are you alright, Phoenix Wright? You look queasy."

"'M fine… it's kinda hot in here…"

Franziska decided to seize the opportunity. "You're right! Come on, let's get out of the crowds."

She took him by the hand and led him out of the drunken crowd and into a quieter corner where something hung above their heads.

"Ah, look. Mistletoe." She pointed to the ceiling.

"Huh…? Um… what's that?" Phoenix said. He looked pale and wobbled a bit.

"Idiot," Franziska muttered under her breath. She looked around the room; Miles Edgeworth's eyes were on them, as were Maya Fey's. Perfect.

She flung her arms around Phoenix's shoulders and kissed him. After nearly a minute of fumbling, they broke apart. Phoenix looked a faint shade of green.

"You're hot…" he said, his eyes unfocussed. Then suddenly he doubled over and made a retching sound. "I… I'm gonna throw up!"

Franziska reacted quickly, running behind him and shoving him out into the corridor. He stumbled through the double doors and emptied the contents of his stomach all over the floor.


	11. Dinner Date

"What do you think, Maya? Which one should I wear?" Phoenix held up the three ties he'd narrowed down to.

"Um… I don't know. Maybe you could just not wear one at all…"

"What? But we're going to a fancy restaurant, I can't go without looking smart!" he gasped.

"Okay, okay. Just mix them up behind your back and choose one randomly!" Maya snapped.

Phoenix was taken. "Um… you seem a bit tense today, Maya. Is everything OK?"

"Yes! I'm fine! It's just… hormones! I am pregnant, after all!"

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "Well, you've been bright and chirpy all week, until I mentioned I was going to dinner with Franziska. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were jealous!"

That earned him a smack around the head.

"Ow! You're so violent!"

"That's why you shouldn't tease a pregnant woman," Maya said smugly, her arms folded over her huge belly.

"Sorry, your majesty…" he grumbled. Honestly, did she have to be so hormonal these days? "Well, I guess I'll ask Pearls. I'm sure she'll pick out a nice tie for me!"

Maya smirked. Phoenix hadn't gotten round to telling Pearl about his dinner date with Ms Von Karma, and she knew Pearl's reaction wouldn't be a positive one.

"Hey, Pearls! Come here!" Phoenix called.

"Alright, I'm just coming Mister Nick!" Pearl scampered into the room. "What is it? Is Mystic Maya's baby coming out?"

"No, no! I need you to help me pick a tie." He held up the three options. "Which do you think Franziska would like best?"

"Isn't Franziska that mean prosecuting lady?"

"Hey, Franziska is nice once you get to know her! And anyway, I'm taking her out to dinner this evening!"

That one got him five slaps.

"Mister Nick, how dare you! The only woman you can take to dinner is Mystic Maya! She's your special someone! You can't just go out to eat with someone else!" Pearl slapped him hard again for good measure.

"Hey, Pearls, don't be like that!" Phoenix said, "Maya and I aren't dating, you know that! I'm allowed to see other women if I want to!"

Pearl glared at him. "Mystic Maya, tell him off!"

"Pearly, I can't stop him from doing what he wants," Maya said in exasperation, "Phoenix isn't my boyfriend, ok? He can go on a date with Franziska if that's what he really wants to do."

Pearl pouted, then ran off to her room with tears in her eyes.

"Great. I guess I'll have to pick a tie by myself then." Phoenix went off to his bedroom.

Maya sighed. Was it wrong to feel jealous of Franziska and Phoenix? She didn't know. Maybe it was just her hormones after all.

Phoenix's wallet felt extremely empty as he handed over some cash to the taxi driver; he really should learn to drive one of these days. He looked up at the restaurant. It was one of those fancy places, and he dreaded to think how much a romantic dinner for two would cost.

He had been pretty surprised when Franziska called him the evening after the Christmas party to see if he was okay. He'd expected her to be disgusted at him for throwing up all over the place; instead she'd been sympathetic and really quite nice. He'd been even more startled when she said she'd enjoyed herself at the party and wanted to meet up with him again.

"What… like a date?" he'd said, dumbfounded. Franziska von Karma wanted to meet up with him for dinner? That was crazy!

Franziska had laughed; instead of her usual cruel laughter, it sounded like she was giggling. That was weird. "Yes, I suppose you could call it that… so, how about tomorrow? I think I have a gap in my schedule in the evening…"

"Um… ok!" Even though this was Franziska, the prosecutor he had once hated, he just couldn't say no. It had been so long since he'd been out with anyone, and she seemed to have gotten a lot nicer lately. "So… you can pick the restaurant!"

He regretted letting her choose now. Of course she'd pick the most expensive place in town. He went inside and a waiter guided him to a table for two, where he sat waiting for his date to arrive.

Edgeworth took another sip of wine; the wine was always good in this place. It was his favourite restaurant, in fact, and he'd come here often with Franziska when the two of them were still on speaking terms. The price was a bit of a stretch, even on a prosecutor's salary, but the good food and excellent service completely made up for it.

"Ah, this soup is delicious! Don't you agree, Miles?"

"Yes, chief prosecutor, certainly the best soup in town!" he said, gulping down a spoonful.

The other prosecutors nodded in agreement. It was a kind of unofficial Christmas dinner, and all of the higher ranking prosecutors at the office had been invited. Luckily for Edgeworth, Franziska had declined her invitation; he was thankful that he wouldn't have to spend a whole evening sat across the table from her, with the way things were between them now. She had said she had other plans, which seemed strange for her. Usually she wouldn't miss a chance to suck up to the chief prosecutor. Actually, her behaviour had been decidedly odd recently – he thought back the Christmas party a couple of days ago, when he could've sworn he saw her kissing Wright.

Edgeworth glanced around the restaurant. As usual it was filled with businessmen having corporate dinners and rich-looking couples. Everything was ordinary… until one table caught his eye. He couldn't mistake that ridiculous spiky hair anywhere! But what on earth was Wright doing in a place like this? Surely it was beyond his price range! Maya wasn't with him like she usually was… could he be meeting somebody for dinner? A woman, perhaps…?

"Are you alright, Miles? You look distracted!"

"Ah, no, I am fine, chief prosecutor…" He tried to focus on the conversation around the table, but his eyes strayed back to Phoenix's table. Wright was drumming his knuckles on the tabletop, and looked impatient. He suddenly perked up as the restaurant door opened and someone walked in. Edgeworth followed Phoenix's gaze; the newcomer was none other than Franziska von Karma! Maybe she had found room in her tight schedule and managed to come to the prosecutors' dinner after all?

But instead of heading towards the table where Edgeworth and his colleagues were sat, she seemed to be walking towards Wright. And smiling at him, of all things!

Edgeworth nearly fell off of his seat in shock as Phoenix got up and pulled back Franziska's chair for her. As she sat down, she kissed on him both cheeks. Edgeworth almost fainted with shock. What on earth was going on?

"Are you really alright? You look pale, Miles!" The chief prosecutor stared at him in concern.

"I'm… I just… please excuse me, I need to get some fresh air, if you don't mind…" Edgeworth stood up in a daze and clumsily tucked his chair under the table. As he rushed out through the fancy double doors into the cool evening air, he was certain that Franziska looked at him with a sly smile on her face and a glimmer in her eyes.

"So, how do you find the beef, Phoenix Wright?" Franziska asked, smiling sweetly.

Phoenix swallowed his mouthful of roast beef and grinned at her.

"It's really, really good!" And probably really, really expensive, he thought to himself. He hadn't dared to look at the prices on the menu yet. "Um… by the way, you can just call me Phoenix. Or Nick, if you want. Or Feenie." Phoenix instantly blushed; why had he said 'Feenie'? Now he'd made a total fool of himself in front of her!

"Well, alright then… Feenie." She moved her hand subtly across the table to touch his fingers. "You know, I'm having a wonderful evening. It's so lovely to spend time with you."

Whoa, whoa, whoa! This was WAY too weird. Phoenix didn't know what to say. A couple of weeks ago, this girl had hated his guts, but now she seemed to be all over him!

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I being too… full on?" she said, removing her hand from his.

"Ahahaha… it's… um… okay…"

Franziska seemed to glance behind her for a moment, then suddenly grabbed him hand again and interlinked her fingers with his. Then she giggled. "Oh, Feenie, you are so funny!"

Phoenix was so overcome with shock that he nearly spat out the piece of potato he'd just put into his mouth. He gulped it down quickly. "Um… no offense, but why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because I realised what a lovely and genuine person you are," she responded, sounding sincere. Did she really think that about him? "And you are rather good looking… I couldn't resist you any longer."

Why was she talking so loudly? Surely people three tables away would be able to hear their conversation! But still, when she'd complimented him like that, his stomach did a little flip. He felt warm and fuzzy in a way he hadn't felt for a long time.

"Well… um… thanks! You're pretty too…!" He felt himself going red. He'd always sucked at flattering people. But she didn't seem to mind. She must really like me, he thought.

As he came back into the restaurant, Edgeworth was sure she turned to look at him again. Then, suddenly, she seemed to be holding hands with Phoenix and giggling like a schoolgirl. This was ridiculous. She hated that man! Why was she suddenly having such a good time with him?

He sat down. The other prosecutors exchanged glances, but didn't say anything.

"…I couldn't resist you any longer!" Franziska was saying. She was speaking so loudly, it was as if the words were intended for him. Her voice burned inside his ears. How dare she say these things to another man! He'd loved her for so long, and now she's moved on straight away and was practically rubbing it in his face!

He realised he was trembling and his fists were clenched. He looked up and was greeted with stares from all around the table.

"Perhaps you are ill, Miles," the chief suggested, "You are welcome to go home and get some rest, if you are not feeling up to the next course of dinner."

Edgeworth breathed in through gritted teeth, throwing a glance back to Franziska and Wright. She seemed to be gazing into his eyes. He felt physically sick.

"Yes, yes, you're right. I'll just be leaving now." He put down his knife and fork, then stood up. "Good day."

Franziska smiled triumphantly as Edgeworth walked out. He looked pale and very agitated; a clear case of extreme jealousy. It had been a stroke of genius to invite that stupid, naïve defense attorney out to dinner and flirt with him in plain view of Edgeworth. Her ex-lover would be on his knees and begging for her to take him back before she knew it!

"And then she made me buy a bonnet in every colour, cos she couldn't choose which one she liked best!" Phoenix said. He'd been rambling on about some shopping trip with Maya for a while now.

"Oh, poor you!" she said, trying to sound sympathetic. She watched in disgust as he shovelled in a forkful of vegetables. Honestly, had his parents taught him no table manners? It was difficult to keep a smile on her face at times with this joke of a man in front of her.

"You know what, it's getting late," she said, tapping her watch, "Perhaps we should skip dessert and head home."

"Okay, sounds good to me!" he said, grinning a little too brightly. She'd have thought he'd be eager to have dessert, since he had enjoyed the starter and the main course so much. Then again, she realised, he was probably happy that he wouldn't have to pay for any extra food.

"Alright, then. I shall ask the waiter to bring us the bill."

She almost burst into laughter when he saw how much the meal had cost; it was rather comical the way his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"So… I'm paying for this, right?" he said, almost pleading her to say 'no, don't worry, I'll pay instead'. But she wasn't going to give in that easily.

"Yes, like you promised over the phone," she said in her most sugar-sweet voice, "You are awfully generous, Feenie." Urgh, every time she said that name she felt like puking.

Phoenix reluctantly paid and they headed out of the restaurant. The date had gone pretty well, in his opinion. She seemed to really, really, like him. And she had said that they should 'go home'… did she mean they should go back to their own homes, or was she subtly inviting him back to her place? She did seem very keen on him, after all…

Franziska felt relieved as she called a taxi. She couldn't wait to get away from this vile man.

"So, um… are we going back to your place?" he asked sheepishly.

"W-what?" She couldn't mask her horror this time. "No, of course not! You foolish fool, why on earth would I want to…" She breathed slowly, in and out, and managed to regain composure. "I mean… it's too soon for that. I would rather take things slowly."

"Oh, yeah. Sure." Phoenix had gone very red. "Well… bye then! Thanks for this evening!"

"Goodbye, Feenie!" She gave him a very fake smile and hurried into her taxi.


	12. Meet the Parents

"I feel kind of bad, leaving Pearl alone with the village elders for Christmas…" Maya said, gazing out at the snowy scene whipping past outside the window.

"Yeah, me too. But it was hard enough explaining to my parents that I had a pregnant girlfriend, let alone a pregnant girlfriend with a younger cousin who comes everywhere with us and knows very little about the outside world…" said Phoenix.

"I guess."

Phoenix absent-mindedly reached into his pocket and checked his mobile; still no new messages. He sighed. Maya frowned a little.

"Huh. I bet you wish your girlfriend Franziska could've come too, right Nick?" she said quietly.

"Well, it would've been nice…" he mused, not detecting the sarcasm in Maya's tone.

Maya bit her lip to stop herself from saying something horrible which she would later regret, and turned her head back to the picturesque winter scene outside the train window. She knew that she should be happy for Phoenix and Franziska, but somehow she just couldn't.

There was a beep as Phoenix's phone received a text message. He pulled it out of his pocket at the speed of light, his eyes lighting up. Maya groaned inwardly as his fingers whizzed across the keys; he was probably writing some soppy text back to Franziska. She glanced over his shoulder and her worst fears were confirmed: "MISS U ALREDI BABE, LUV U XXX FEENIE". It made her want to puke.

Phoenix was still smiling happily to himself as he pressed 'send' and tucked the phone back into the pocket of his jeans.

There were five more minutes of awkward silence, only interrupted by Phoenix's irritating ringtone as the texts whizzed back and forth between him and his new girlfriend.

Finally Maya couldn't take it any more.

"Nick!" she growled, turning wildly to face him.

He jumped in shock, dropping his phone on the floor. "W-what?"

"Could you please stop texting Franziska so much? It's so annoying! If you don't stop, you might just send me into early labour!"

He picked up his phone nervously and put it away. "Alright… um… sorry…"

Maya sighed in relief. "Thank God. I thought you were never going to stop."

Phoenix opened his mouth to ask why she was getting so pissed off about it, but decided not to. It was probably just hormones; after all, Maya was due in less than a month.

"I'm sorry, Nick," said Maya, seeming to have calmed down a bit, "It's just that… you know, we're going away for Christmas, just the two of us, as… friends. And I don't really want Franziska to ruin it… you know…?"

"Y-yeah. It's fine. I won't text her so much."

Thankfully the tension was broken by a robotic voice booming from the loudspeaker: "You have now reached your destination. Thank you for travelling with SpeedyLine Trains. Mind the gap."

"You'd better carry all the bags, Nick! I can't manage them in my condition!" Maya said chirpily, nudging Phoenix in the kidney.

"Ow! Okay, okay, I'm just getting them!" He reached up and took the two large suitcases they'd brought with them off of the rack above their heads. It was a bit of a struggle but he finally lugged everything off of the train and onto the platform.

It was only a small station, so the platform was outdoors; snowflakes swirled down around them, forming a soft white carpet around their feet.

"Wow, look at all this snow! It's almost as good as Kurain in winter!" said Maya, "I love snow! Although…" she looked down at her huge bump, "I guess I can't really make snow angels this year, huh. Oh well, I can just watch you making them, Nick!"

"Hmm. Yeah." Phoenix could just imagine himself rolling around in the snow, waving his arms about with Maya screaming 'faster!' at him. "Are you warm enough, Maya?"

"Yeah, duh! I'm wearing, like, four layers!" Maya patted the huge winter coat she was wearing. "Feels weird wearing normal clothes, though. Are you sure your parents would freak out if I turned up in my acolyte outfit?"

"Yes, definitely. They're really not fans of the occult. Plus that outfit barely fits you anymore!"

"Well, we spirit mediums don't believe in buying tons of new clothes just because you're pregnant! You need to save money and carry on using your regular clothes!"

"Uh huh… so how come you believe in forcing your poor best friend to buy tons of baby clothes for you?" Phoenix asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, it's alright if someone else buys stuff for you!" said Maya, "Hey, is that your parents?" She pointed to a middle aged couple stood huddled by the ticket office. The woman was waving.

"Yep, that's them… here goes…" Phoenix took Maya's gloved hand and led her over to his parents.

Maya noticed that both of them looked a little like Nick. The man had his blue eyes; his grey hair was thinning, but it looked like it had once been dangerously spiky, like Nick's. The woman had Phoenix's dark hair, cut into a neat bob; the features of her face somehow resembled him too.

"Mom, Dad, this is Maya. Maya, these are my parents."

"Oh, it's lovely to meet you!" his mother gushed, hugging Maya and kissing her on the cheek. "I didn't expect you to be so young! How old are you, exactly?"

"I'm… twenty-four," said Maya, "I just look young for my age!" That was the age she and Phoenix had previously agreed on; after all, his parents probably wouldn't been too keen on him having a nineteen-year-old girlfriend.

"Huh. You look like you're barely past eighteen," Phoenix's father said gruffly. He held out his hand; Maya shook it nervously. "I'm Phil. Nice to meet you." He shook his head in distaste. "You have a very limp handshake."

"Dad!" Phoenix hissed, "Can't you at least try and be nice?"

"Oh, Phoenix, your father is only joking around," said his mother, shooting a fierce glare at Phil. "Don't listen to him, my dear. My name is Robyn, by the way." She beamed at Maya. "Now come on, let's get you out of the cold!"

Robyn led the way to the car, and Phoenix helped Maya in.

"So, Maya, what did your parents think about your condition?" Phil asked, "I'm sure they were displeased. After all, you are pregnant out of wedlock."

"I… um… actually, I don't exactly have any parents," Maya said. She could see Phil's blue eyes glaring at her in the rear view mirror.

"Oh. That makes sense."

"What makes sense?" Phoenix asked accusingly.

"Well, that would explain why Maya has gone astray and ended up in this situation… she had no parents to teach her otherwise."

"Dad!" Phoenix said angrily, "Maya hasn't done anything wrong! She's nine- I mean, twenty-four! Whether she has parent or not makes no difference!"

Robyn patted Phil's arm. "Phoenix and Maya have made their choice, dear. They obviously decided to take a less traditional route. But I'm sure things will be sorted soon… won't they, Phoenix?"

Phoenix groaned; Maya glanced at him in confusion. "Excuse me, Robyn… what do you mean, 'things will be sorted'?" she asked.

"Well, with the wedding, my dear! Then it won't really matter too much that the twins would be born with unmarried parents!" said Robyn.

"The children would still technically be bastards, though," Phil muttered darkly.

Maya could barely hide her horrified expression. "Um… me and Nick… we're not actually, like, engaged or anything!"

"Oh, I know, but it's only a matter of time!" said Robyn cheerily, "Phoenix assured me on the phone the other night that you two have been thinking seriously about marriage for a while now!"

Maya turned to glare at Phoenix. He mouthed the word "sorry", looking extremely embarrassed.

"So, Maya… do you have a job? Or, rather, did you have a job before you went on maternity leave?" Robyn asked.

"Uh, well…" Maya looked at Phoenix for guidance, but he was too busy staring out of the window, trying to forget his annoyance at his parents. "Um… actually, I'm kind of a spirit medium."

Phil nearly crashed the car.

"A… what!"

"It's nothing too weird, honest! We just, um, channel spirits sometimes… and stuff…" Maya felt like kicking herself. Phoenix had warned her not to mention this kind of stuff.

Phil seemed to be too angry to speak. Robyn managed wipe the shocked expression from her face. "Oh, that's um… nice, dear." Her tone of voice suggested otherwise.

Maya flopped down onto the bed in relief when she and Phoenix finally managed to escape his parents and were alone in the spare bedroom.

"I told you not to mention spirit channelling!" he said, running his hands anxiously through his hair. "Now they'll never take you seriously!"

"Sorry, sorry!" she said, "It's just that your dad makes me feel so nervous, I thought he'd eat me or something if I told a lie!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about him. I should've just said we already had plans for Christmas… I knew this was a bad idea!"

"Well, we're here now, I guess…" Maya sighed.

"Yeah. I'm sorry… it won't exactly be a very merry Christmas with my Dad around, huh?"

"I thought bakers were friendly!" Maya wailed, "And I was looking forward to free cakes and stuff!"

"Now do you see why I never bought you up to visit and get free food before?" Phoenix said, rolling his eyes. "I really wish my Dad wasn't such scrooge."

"I suppose that's where you get it from, Nick!" said Maya.

"Hey, hey! I dressed up for that Christmas party, didn't I?"

Maya shuddered as she remembered seeing Franziska and Phoenix making out at that horrible party. She tried to push the memories out of her mind.

"Anyway. I'm sure we can manage five days here," she said firmly, "I mean, your Mom seems nice… even if she thinks we're gonna get married."

Just at that moment, the door was flung open; Robyn stood in the doorway.

"Are you two all settled in? I've got out all the wedding catalogues in the living room! Come and take a look!"

Phoenix and Maya looked at other in horror; they were doomed.


	13. Snow Angels

"Faster, Nick! Faster!"

"I'm going as fast as I can! Jeez!"

"Hmm… okay, you can stop now!"

Phoenix sighed in relief and got up. His back was encrusted with snow and he was pretty sure his nose was turning blue by now. Maya was sat on the garden wall, wrapped tightly in several thick, woolly layers of clothing. She examined the snow angel he'd just made.

"Well… I guess it's alright. But I think you should make another one for luck, Nick."

"What? No way!" Phoenix protested, "Can't we go back inside now?"

Maya laughed. "Nope! Not yet! The other snow angels might get lonely if you don't make one more!"

"But I already made five!"

Maya let out a huge, fake sigh. "Well, I guess if you don't want to make more snow angels for me, I'll just have to start talking about girly stuff!" She grinned at Phoenix mischievously. "Hey, did you know that when I go into labour my cervix will have to expand to-"

"No, please, that's enough! I'll make another snow angel!" Phoenix dropped back down onto the snow and started thrashing his arms about to make a pair of wings.

"Phoenix Ignatius Wright, get up off of the ground right now!"

Phoenix leapt to his feet and brushed the snowflakes off of his arms. "Um… sorry, Dad…"

"You are 26 years old! Why on earth are you behaving like a young child? I am ashamed to call you my son!" Phil didn't look impressed with Phoenix's snow angel creations.

Suddenly, Maya burst into laughter. "Nick… your middle name is IGNATIUS? Hahaha! You never told me that before! How embarrassing!"

Phoenix blushed; Phil looked livid. "Actually, my father's name was Ignatius."

"O-oh, um, sorry Mr Wright… it's actually a really nice name, just a bit unusual…" Maya mumbled, going pink.

"I was thinking that if one of the twins is a boy, you could name it Ignatius," Phil continued, "But, clearly, you have no respect for good old-fashioned names." He turned and got into his car, slamming the door loudly behind him.

"Uh oh… I think I pissed off your dad… again…" Maya said.

"Yeah, I think so," Phoenix agreed.

The front door opened, and Robyn came outside. "Hey, you two! Come inside, I have something to show you!"

Maya and Phoenix followed her indoors, where she gestured towards the computer screen.

"I've recently gotten the hang of using the internet," she explained, "And I found the website for a lovely stately home just two miles away from here! They even have a photograph up on the web page, look!" She pointed to a picture of a large old fashioned house surrounded by trees covered in pink blossom.

"Um… and what does this have to do with us?" Phoenix asked.

"Well, don't you think it looks like an ideal place to get married?"

Phoenix groaned. "Mum, I already told you! We're not really ready to start planning yet!"

"Nonsense! You'll want to get married as soon as possible, so that those twins have the best start in life!" She ruffled Phoenix's hair, much to his annoyance. "Ooh, I know! My friend Judy does cakes! I'll ask her to make your wedding cake, then we can get discount! Splendid!"

She disappeared off into the kitchen to get the phone, while Phoenix and Maya hung up their coats and sat down on the sofa.

"Oh great… we've only been here a day, and already she's practically planned our whole wedding!" Phoenix said.

Robyn's voice drifted out from the kitchen. "Hmmm… I think that five tiers should be enough, we don't want anything too huge… oh, yes, sugared roses sound divine!... well, we haven't fixed a date yet, but perhaps May next year?"

"May next year!" Maya groaned quietly so that only Phoenix could hear, "Oh no! That's only a few months away!"

They listened as Robyn said goodbye and hung up the phone. She returned to the living room. "Judy says she'll start planning the cake right away! I'm going to email her a photo of you two, so she can make figurines to go on top!" Robyn pulled out a camera; both Maya and Phoenix were startled as she flashed it in their faces. "There we go! Now I just need to send this to her…"

Robyn drifted over to the computer and began uploading the photo. Maya and Phoenix's shocked faces appeared on the screen; Maya had her eyes half closed, and Phoenix's mouth was hanging open.

"Mum, no! We look awful!" Phoenix protested.

"Oh, Judy won't mind! She used to change your nappies when you were a baby, you know!"

Phoenix rolled his eyes. "Maya, do you want to go for a walk or something?"

"Sure. Bye, Mrs Wright!"

"Have fun you two!" Robyn said chirpily, "I'll cut out some more pictures for your wedding mood-board while you're gone!"

Phoenix breathed a sigh of relief as they left the house. "Thank goodness, I thought we'd never escape!"

"Nick… d'you think we'll end up being forced to get married this May?"

"Not if I can help it! Let's just play along for now, and break the news to her over the phone once we've left. That way my Dad can't strangle us for not getting married!"

"Okay!" Maya agreed, "So… what are we going to do now? This village is so small, there's nothing fun to do?"

"We could go to the park and I could push you on the swings?" Phoenix suggested.

Maya thought for a moment. "Hmm… I dunno, I think I'm a bit too big now for swings."

"I was kidding anyway, Maya! Honestly, you're so gullible!"

"Well, I'm not too big for roundabouts! Let's go!" Maya said excitedly, "Just don't push me too fast, OK? I don't want the baby to get jiggled about too much!"

Phoenix rolled his eyes as they walked off towards the park. Maya might have been about to become a mother, but she was really still just a big kid herself.

Franziska was feeling optimistic as she walked to the door to get her mail. Phoenix Wright seemed to be completely fooled, and Miles Edgeworth was clearly dying of jealousy. Things would soon be back the way she wanted them.

She picked up the small pile of letters and flicked through them; bills, bills, a letter telling her she was almost due for a dental check up, a late birthday card from some aunt in Germany; but what was this? A plain white envelope with the words 'Frannsicksca Vonn Car Mar' written in pitifully childish handwriting. Who on earth could this be from?

Curiously, she sat down at the kitchen table and opened the mystery envelope. Inside was a piece of paper folded into four. In the same child-like script was the message:

"Fransicksca,

Im relly sorry but we carnt be togther any more. I lov mistic Maya and not you.

Sorry frum mister Nick xxx"

Franziska re-read the note in confusion. It appeared to be from Phoenix Wright, but surely even he wasn't stupid enough to have such appalling spelling?

Pearl couldn't stop smiling as she got on the train to Kurain. Her little note to Franziska should have her completely fooled. Then she would break up with Mister Nick and he could be happy with Mystic Maya forever!

Phoenix was sat on his bed reading a book when his mobile rang. He checked the caller information; Franziska. He realised they hadn't spoken for a couple of days now; she was probably missing him and wanted to hear his voice.

"Franziska! Are you missing me?" he asked happily.

"Fool! What on earth is the meaning of the ludicrous note you sent to me this morning?" she asked angrily, "I can honestly say that you have the worst handwriting of any grown man I have ever met! It looks like the foolish scrawl of an idiotic child!"

He was taken aback by her harsh tone. "W-what note? I didn't send you anything in the mail!"

"Then why have I received a letter from 'Mister Nick' saying that you are in love with Maya or some such nonsense?" Franziska demanded.

"I have no idea! Maybe it was a prank or something? It wasn't me!"

"Hey, Nick!" said Maya, walking into the room eating a cheese toastie freshly made for her by Robyn, "Who are you talking to?"

"Franziska," said Phoenix, "Listen, Maya, did you send her a note saying that I'm in love with you?"

"No, why on earth would I do that?"

"Well, you did tell me she was pregnant once, so maybe you did it for a joke?"

Franziska's impatient voice boomed out of the phone. "Phoenix Wright! I demand an explanation for this foolish fool's note!"

"Hey, calm down, I'm sure it's one of our friend having a laugh," said Phoenix, "Never mind! Anyway, have you missed me?"

Franziska's tone turned sugar-sweet. "Oh, of course I have, Feenie! I've been dreaming about you every day and night."

Phoenix grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, me too!"

Maya rolled her eyes and left. She'd really hoped that Nick could forget about Franziska for a while, but clearly he was still as besotted with her as ever… She sat down on the sofa with a sigh. She was stupid to even think that maybe Nick would ever feel that way about her.


	14. A Not So Merry Christmas

"Nick, hold the baby!" Maya shrieked, thrusting a squirming baby into Phoenix's outstretched arms. It wriggled, kicking him in the face, and screamed in his ear. "And this one!" Maya tucked a second baby under his arm. The baby fell out of his grip and toppled onto the floor, where it lay on its back, bawling loudly.

Phoenix picked it up and tried to comfort it, only to find another baby lying on the floor. This one was in the middle of having its diaper changed, and it stank.

"Urgh! Maya, this baby needs cleaning up!" He looked around, but Maya had disappeared; in her place was a fourth baby. This one was eating some kind of yellow mush and had food all round its mouth. It giggled and flicked some into Phoenix's hair.

"Hey! Watch my hair!" he cried. Something tugged hard on one of his spikes; he looked over his shoulder to see another little monster clinging onto his back, laughing a wide, toothless grin.

"Nooooooooo!" Phoenix yelled. He woke up sweating all over.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Maya was screaming from the bed. He got up and rushed over to her.

"Maya! Are you OK? Are you getting contractions?" he asked quickly.

"Um… no…." she said, looking puzzled, "I was just screaming cos you were! Is the house burning down or something?"

Phoenix felt relieved; thank goodness the babies weren't coming just yet. Judging by his nightmare, he wasn't quite ready for that. "Don't worry, there's no emergency," he reassured her, "I just had… a bad dream."

"Oh. Right." Maya groaned quietly as she heaved herself up into a sitting position. "Hey, Nick! It's Christmas today, right?"

"Oh yeah! I almost totally forgot!" Phoenix had nearly lost track of time staying here in this dull village with his annoying parents.

Maya grinned. "Yay! I love Christmas! What did you get me, Nick?"

Phoenix made a fake face of horror. "Oh no! I forgot to get you a present!"

She frowned at him. "Nick, you are such a spoil-sport! Just give me the present already, okay?"

"Fine, fine…" He reached under the sofa bed he'd been sleeping on and brought out a small gift-wrapped box, about the size of a box that might have a piece of jewellery in it. He handed it over to her. "Merry Christmas, Maya!"

"Thanks, Nick!" She took the little package in her hands and shook it. "Hmm… what could it be? …Zvarri! A ring?"

Phoenix burst into laughter. "Ha! In my mother's dreams!"

Maya laughed along, trying not to sound disappointed. For a second there she'd thought that maybe Phoenix had been about to get down on one knee… but of course, that would be ridiculous. She was silly to think of something like that anyway.

"Well? Aren't you going to open it?" he prompted. Maya grinned as she tore off the wrapper and opened up the little jewellery box inside.

"Wow, thanks! It's gorgeous!" Inside the box was a little silver locket, engraved with a swirly pattern surrounding a purple stone the exact colour of her medium outfit. Maya took out the locket carefully and clicked it open. "But it's empty, Nick!"

"Yeah, I thought you could put a picture of the twins in it, one in each side… once they've been born, of course."

"Hey, that's a great idea! Then I can carry them with me wherever I go…" Maya thought for a second, and then a sad look passed across her face, "Just like my mother did after she left us."

Phoenix reached out a hand to comfort her but was interrupted by the door bursting open.

"Good morning, you two! Merry Christmas to you both!" said Robyn happily, "Come into the living room when you're ready and we can all exchange gifts!"

Robyn was delighted with the antique teapot Phoenix and Maya gave her, and Phil seemed to like his new shirt and handkerchiefs.

"Well, here's my gift to you two!" she said, handing Phoenix an envelope, "I'm sorry it's nothing special, we just didn't know what to get!"

He opened the envelope and took out a wad of cash.

"Whoa!" said Maya, her eyes wide, "Thanks, Robyn! Nick, think of all the burgers we could buy with that!"

"It's for the little bastards, not for satisfying your own gluttony," said Phil stiffly.

Maya's eyes narrowed. "Well, bah humbug to you!" she said angrily.

"Dad! Maya!" said Phoenix, "Please… can we just be nice? It's Christmas, after all…"

There was a long pause, before Maya finally spoke. "Um… sorry, Mr Wright." She still looked angry, even if she'd accepted defeat.

"Hmph. Good. I just hope you won't be wasting the generous amount of money which we've taken from our own savings to give to you," Phil replied coldly.

Luckily the tension was broken by the doorbell ringing.

"Ah, that must be our guests!" said Robyn, "Phoenix, did I tell you that we invited Judy over for Christmas dinner?"

"Yes, about a million times," said Phoenix, "And I know, her daughter's coming too if she can get a break from her busy schedule…"

Robyn rushed off to get the door and returned a minute later with two women.

"Phoenix, dear, this is my friend Judy! Remember her? She used to bake pumpkin pies for you when you were little!"

"Oh, um, hi Judy…" Phoenix said, feeling embarrassed as the plump middle-aged woman hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"Oh, look at you, all grown up! I've already been commissioned to make your wedding cake, darling!" said Judy, "It's going to be so lovely! I've already started on the moulds for the figurines!"

"Well, um, don't rush yourself! We're in no hurry!" he said.

Phil was guiding another woman into the living room; she was young and very pretty. "Phoenix, this is Judy's daughter, Lily."

"Hi, Lily…" Phoenix shook her hand, puzzled as to why his father was taking the time to introduce them. Lily was slim with long, wavy blonde hair, clear blue eyes and pink lips.

"You and Lily used to sit in the garden in only your diapers and make mud pies, remember?" said Robyn.

"Um… nope…"

Lily giggled. "How embarrassing!" she said, smiling radiantly at Phoenix. He blushed a little in return.

"Lily, you recently broke up with your boyfriend… isn't that right?" said Phil, extremely polite compared to his usual gruff attitude.

Lily giggled. "Well, yes… although we weren't that serious anyway… but I'm single at the moment!"

"Ah, yes. Well, I'm sure it would be lovely for you to find a nice strapping young man… someone who would be a perfect match for you, that is…." Phil said, his eyes flicking towards Phoenix.

"Hehe, it would be lovely if I could finally find somebody and settle down!" Lily was looking straight at Phoenix too.

Maya tried to get up quickly – which was kind of difficult in her condition – and grabbed Phoenix's arm. "Nick, why don't we go and help your Mum with the turkey?"

"What are you talking about? My Mum's right here!" he gestured towards Robyn, who was stood directly opposite them.

"Well… maybe we should go to the kitchen and get a head start, then!" She dragged him off out of the room and slammed the kitchen door behind them.

"Maya!" Phoenix said, "What was that all about? We were just in the middle of chatting to Judy and Lily!"

She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Nick, are you blind or something? Your Dad is trying to set you up with Lily!"

Phoenix sighed. "Don't be so paranoid! Why would he do that, anyway? He wants us to get married so that the children have married parents! He wouldn't go trying to get me to find somebody else!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Maya, "He really doesn't like me. He probably couldn't care less about the twins – he just wants to get rid of me and set you up with someone who he thinks is more 'suitable' for you!"

"That's ridiculous! Of course my dad cares about the twins – they're his own grandchildren!"

"Well, how come he always calls them 'the little bastards' then, huh?"

Phoenix was stumped by that one. "Well…uh… maybe he means it in an affectionate way?"

They were interrupted by Robyn entering the room. "What are you two whispering about?"

"N-nothing…" said Phoenix, "Listen, Mum… do you think Dad actually wants me to marry Maya?"

Robyn hesitated for a moment. "W-well… of course he does, dear! I mean, he thinks she's a little unusual, not really what he would have expected for a daughter-in-law, but…" she trailed off, unsure what to say.

"Huh." Phoenix considered this for a moment. Maybe Maya was right…

About an hour later, the six of them were sat down at the dining room table, tucking into the delicious Christmas dinner that Robyn and Phil had prepared.

They were on to puddings now; Maya had decided to eat some of everything. Her excuse was that she was eating for three.

"Mr Wright, can you cut me another slice of chocolate cake?" she asked, her mouth half-full of Christmas pudding.

He sighed loudly and gave her a third slice. "Remind me never to let you enter my bakery. You'd probably eat everything." Everybody laughed as if Phil had told a great joke, not realising that he was deadly serious.

Maya wolfed down the cake and excused herself to go to the toilet; she had a very weak bladder these days, thanks to the babies squishing everything up. As soon as she was gone, Phil looked a lot happier.

"Now, Phoenix, you and Lily really ought to exchange email addresses and phone numbers," he said, "It would be nice for you to stay in touch… after all, you're both the same age, and both looking for somebody…"

"What do you mean, 'looking for somebody'?" Phoenix asked, "I'm going out with Maya, and we're expecting twins any day now!"

Phil smirked. "Yes, well... she's really not that mature, is she? I was under the impression that your relationship wouldn't last long."

Phoenix stood up angrily. "You can't go saying things like that! I thought you actually cared about old-fashioned values… but you want me to ditch my unborn children already?"

"Sit down, boy!" said Phil, "Honestly, why are you getting so angry over some stupid hippie-girl and her bastard offspring?"

At that moment, Maya returned from the toilet. "Hey! I am NOT a hippie!" She rolled up one sleeve, ready to punch Phil. "And I'll hit you if you talk about my twins like that again!"

"Maya, no! You're in no condition to be throwing punches!" said Phoenix, putting a hand on her arm. "Let me deal with this!"

It was too late. Maya had scrambled up onto the table and walked over to Phil. "Take that, you horrible old fart!" She kicked him hard in the face.

"Argh! You crazy bitch!" Phil leapt up, his nose streaming with blood. "Phoenix, get this freak out of here!"

Phoenix rushed over to Maya and helped her off of the table. Judy, Robyn and Lily were sat in silence, looking bewildered. "Thanks for the dinner, Mum," said Phoenix, "We'll be in our room."


	15. Emergency

"Um… Miss Scarlet, in the billiard room, with the candlestick!" Maya guessed. Phoenix showed her the Miss Scarlet card.

"Nick, that's not fair! You already showed me that card three times! I wanna know whether you've got the candlestick!" said Maya.

Phoenix rolled his eyes. "Don't ask about Miss Scarlet again, then! This game is all about logic, Maya!"

They had found a game of Cluedo in the spare bedroom cupboard, and had been playing all afternoon; about three hours had passed since the fateful Christmas dinner. Phoenix assumed that the dinner had continued without them, as nobody had come to their room to check up on them.

"Okay, my turn!" Phoenix picked up the dice, and rolled a six.

Maya frowned. "Nick, you always manage to roll a six! You must be cheating!"

"How could I be cheating? It's a dice!"

"Well… you're rolling it funny, so you get a six every time!"

There was a knock on the door. "Phoenix, Maya? It's Robyn. Can I come in?"

Phoenix looked at Maya; she nodded. "Come in, Mum!" he called.

The door opened and Robyn came and sat on the bed. "I'm really sorry about your father's behaviour this lunchtime. But he's calmed down a bit now, and he's sorry for insulting you like that, Maya."

"Really? He's… sorry?" Maya sounded doubtful.

"Well, he won't admit it, but he does feel some remorse, I think," said Robyn, "Although he's pretty angry about when you, er, kicked him in the face."

"Oh, yeah," said Maya, "Well, I guess it was a bit harsh of me. Can you tell him I'm sorry about that?"

"Yes, of course." Robyn got up and left.

Maya had her head to one side, thinking. "Nick… do you think your Dad is actually sorry for what he said?"

"I honestly don't know, Maya," said Phoenix, "He's too proud to apologise for things usually, but maybe he realises that he's crossed the line."

Robyn returned. "Phil says he'll drive you home."

"Now!"

"Erm… yes, I think so." Robyn started folding up the mess of clothes which Phoenix and Maya had dumped on the floor, and tucking them neatly away into the suitcase.

"I guess we've outstayed our welcome, then…" said Maya.

"Oh, no, it's not like that!" said Robyn, "It's just that… well, Phil is sorry, in his own way. He wants to drive you home to make up for what he said, so you don't have to get the train. But he doesn't think that you'd really want to stay here anymore… since you're not exactly the best of friends."

"Hm. Well, I suppose not… I'm sorry I've ruined your Christmas, Robyn," said Maya sadly.

"Don't apologise, dear," said Robyn, "Phil's to blame for behaving so rudely. No wonder you reacted like that, with all those hormones you must have right now!"

Maya grinned. "Yeah, I love being able to blame my hormones for everything! Isn't that right, Nick?" She prodded Phoenix in the back, who was trying to pack away their toothbrushes.

Robyn laughed. "Well, could I come down and visit you once the little ones have been born? I'd love to see them, even if…"

"Even if Dad won't," Phoenix completed her sentence.

Finally the packing was finished; the process was made much quicker with Robyn's help. They waited in the hallway for Phil to arrive. He stomped out of the living room; his nose looked slightly purple.

"Mr Wright… I'm really sorry about kicking you like that. It was really childish of me," said Maya quietly. Phil grunted in response.

They all went out to the car; Phoenix opened the door for Maya and helped her in. Phil started up the engine, still silent.

"So… um… what happened to Judy and Lily?" asked Phoenix, trying to break the silence as they pulled out of the Wrights' driveway.

"They went home soon after dessert," said Robyn, "They… er… felt it would be awkward to stay too long."

"Oh. Right." They dropped back into a stony silence, which continued for the next hour or so, only interrupted by Phoenix occasionally asking how far was left to go.

When they were about twenty minutes away from home, Maya suddenly gasped and clutched her stomach.

"Maya! Are you alright?" Phoenix exclaimed.

She grimaced in pain. "Fine… I just… ah!" She was almost bent double, holding her bump.

Phoenix grabbed her hand. "Dad! I think we need to get to a hospital, now!"

Phil turned round, looking alarmed. "Oh, please don't tell me she's having twins in the back of my car!"

"I don't know what's happening!" said Phoenix. He put a hand on maya's forehead; she was burning up. "Just drive us to the nearest hospital!"

Phil revved up the engine, instructing Robyn to look out for a sign saying where they could find a hospital. "Ah! This way! Turn left!" she gasped, panicking. "Maya, dear, it's going to be alright! We'll get you there in no time!"

Maya just groaned in agony. "It really hurts, Nick! What if something's wrong with the twins?"

"Nothing will happen to them! I won't let it!" Phoenix said determinedly. He held Maya protectively in his arms as her face crumpled up in pain.

She gasped. "Oh no… I'm bleeding!" Phoenix looked down; there was blood on the car seat between Maya's legs.

"Oh God, not on my new car seats!" Phil groaned.

"Never mind that!" said Robyn, "We need medical attention, fast!" The tyres screeched as Phil pulled into the hospital car park. Phoenix flung open the door and got out, rushing around to the other side to help Maya.

"Nick…" she gasped as he opened the car door and put his arms around her, "What if… what if I'm going to die!"

"Y-you're not! You can't!" He looked her in the eyes, "I won't let you, Maya, I promise!" Finding a burst of inhuman strength, he heaved her up into his arms; there was blood on the sleeve of his favourite jacket, but he couldn't care less. He just had to save Maya and the twins, before it was too late.

"Are you alright, dear? Can you manage her?" Robyn asked, hurrying after him towards the doors of Accident & Emergency.

"It's fine, I've got her!" Phoenix shoved the doors open and pushed his way to the desk. "You need to help me! My girlfriend… something's wrong!" People in green overalls came running with a trolley; Maya was prised out of his arms and laid down on it.

Phoenix chased them up the corridor as she was wheeled away, his heart pounding like crazy. Maya was deathly pale and her eyes kept rolling backwards into her head. "Maya! Please, just hold on!"

They stopped in a white, sterile room; the smell of disinfectant and chemicals surrounded Phoenix, making him feel sick. He stood by Maya's head, clutching the side of the trolley to support his weak legs, while the doctors examined her.

"Nick… what's happening?" Her voice was faint and weak, fading fast.

"I don't know. But whatever happens, Maya, I…" He clutched her trembling hand, not sure what to say. But then their eyes met and he found the words. "I love you, Maya!"

A doctor knocked him out of the way, and their hands parted. "We're going to have to perform an emergency caesarean!" somebody shouted, "Get the anaesthetic in, now!"

Maya shudder as a needle was pressed into her arm. She could barely keep her eyes open over the throbbing pain in her abdomen, but she tried to focus and search out Nick's face in the crowd of others. "Nick…" she gasped, "I… I love you too…!"

She briefly saw him smile before everything went black.


	16. New Arrivals

Maya's eyes flickered open to see Phil standing in front of her, cooing over a small bundle in his arms.

"Who's a pretty baby, then?" he said, "Who's being a good girl for Grandpa?"

Maya would've laughed if she didn't feel so drowsy. "I'm dreaming, right?" she slurred, still regaining control of her senses.

A nurse appeared by her side. "Oh, you're awake! Don't you worry now, everything is going to be OK! Both twins are fine, thank goodness, although it was a close call!"

Maya blinked a few times in disbelief at Phil before glancing around the room. Robyn was leaning over a plastic crib, surrounded by a few familiar faces…

"E-Edgeworth?" Maya asked, her voice a little raspy, "Larry? Gumshoe? Maggey? What are you doing here?"

"Congratulations, pal!" said Gumshoe, "I'm really proud of you! I feel like I really helped you get to this point in your life… know what I'm saying?"

"Um… no?"

Larry grinned. "Aw, my lil Maya! You look so cute when you're unconscious, y'know! And your daughter… she's gonna be a real hottie when she grows up!"

Phil fixed him with an icy glare for a few seconds; Larry practically shrivelled up under his intense gaze. "I mean… uh… not that I'll be dating her, or anything!" Larry quickly said.

Phil's eyebrows shot up and he glared a little more before turning to Maya. "I'm… er… glad you're alright, Maya," he said, "I… suppose you'll want to see the babies?"

"Huh?" Maya was puzzled for a second, "Oh yeah! Sorry, my head feels kinda funny…"

Robyn got up, smiling kindly. "The anaesthetic is still wearing off my dear. Anyway, you ought to meet your children!"

"But where's Nick?" Maya asked, "He should be here!" She blushed hotly as she remember confessing her love to him, just before she was out cold. It would be awkward looking him in the eye after that… but still, he should be by her side right now, as she was first meeting their children.

"He went to get a drink," Robyn explained, "He was rather in shock after everything that's happened, I think. Having your girlfriend and kids almost die is no big deal…"

"Wait, wait… almost die? What do you mean?" Maya said, horrified. Just what had happened while she was unconscious?

Robyn patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry yourself, Maya. There was a bit of an emergency… you and the twins were rapidly losing blood, but the doctors managed to sort everything out. You'll have to stay in hospital for a week or so, just to make sure everything's fine. But it'll be OK, I promise. Phil and I will be here by your side the whole time."

Another mystery popped into Maya's head. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Erm… Robyn… about Phil… Why is he being so, um, nice?"

Robyn laughed. "Well, although he may not seem it, Phil can be a real softie. The moment he saw those babies, they had him wrapped around their little fingers… especially the baby girl."

Maya looked at him, gazing adoringly at his granddaughter's tiny face. "Huh. I never would've seen that coming!" She turned back to Robyn. "So… when will Nick be back? I want him to be here, when I hold the babies for the first time."

Gumshoe laughed loudly. "Boy, is he gonna be surprised when he sees us lot here!"

"You mean… Nick doesn't know you're here?"

"Nope! He called Mr Edgeworth while you were in the operating theatre, telling him what was going on. Anyway, I was at the prosecutors' office, eavesdropping on the conversation! So I thought it would be a nice surprise if we all showed up to offer our support, pal!"

"Yeah, we've only been here a couple minutes… I can't wait to see the look on Nick's face!" Larry chuckled.

At that moment, Nick himself entered the room. "Maya, you're awake…. Larry? What the heck are you doing here?" he cried in disbelief. "Why are you all gate crashing the birth of my first kids!"

"Surprise!" said Maggey happily, "We're friends, right? We thought we'd come and support you!"

Phoenix sighed. "Look, can you guys go and annoy someone else in the hospital cafeteria or something? I kind of want to be alone with my family and Maya right now…"

"Fine, fine…" Larry grumbled, "So I guess you don't value our friendship…" The four intruders got up and walked out.

"I assure you, Wright, this wasn't my idea," said Edgeworth, "I just thought I should accompany them, to avoid a mishap…"

"Whatever, just leave, ok?" said Phoenix. The door closed behind them. "Honestly! I can't believe they just wandered on in here at a private time like this!" He moved to Maya's bedside. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, a little tired… can I hold the twins now?"

Phil and Robyn passed the two tiny babies into Maya's waiting arms. She was surprised by how warm and small they were. Their little eyes were closed, their faces pink and crumpled up with sleep. "They're… perfect," Maya breathed.

f"I know," Phoenix agreed, his blue eyes shining with pride.

"I'll give you two some alone time, alright?" said Robyn, practically dragging Phil out of the door.

Maya sighed happily. "I can't believe they're finally here…"

"I know. And I'm so relieved that you're all OK," said Phoenix.

"Hmmm… what should we name them? Maybe something rhyming… like Mike and Spike?" Maya suggested.

"Maya, one is a girl. Plus I am not having a kid called Spike!"

"Ok… well… I'm fresh out of ideas, then. You got anything, Nick?"

Phoenix thought for a moment. "Well… actually, I was thinking about 'Mia' for a girl. I mean… she was your sister and my mentor, so she meant a lot to both of us. What do you think?"

Maya smiled. "Yeah, good idea! Plus, it's cool to name your kid after your dead relatives. Everyone does it in books and movies! Like in Harry Potter, when-"

Phoenix interrupted her, rolling his eyes. "Ok, ok, so Mia it is. Anyway… what about the boy?"

"Well… I've actually been tossing some boy's names around in my head, and I found something I kind of like…" Maya looked embarrassed.

"What is it?"

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"Of course not!"

Maya bit her lip, hesitating. "Um… how about Donatello?"

Phoenix burst into laughter. "Donatello? Ha! You mean like the artist?"

"No… like the teenage mutant ninja turtle!" Maya said, offended.

Phoenix laughed even more, so hard he was almost crying.

Maya frowned. "I guess you don't like it then?"

He chuckled some more. "No. Not really."

"Okay… well, I also thought of a back up plan. What about David?"

"David?" Phoenix considered that for a moment. "Hmm… well, I suppose it's not weird. And it's not too common, either. Nice and traditional… just a nice, ordinary name… I like it!"

They smiled at each other. "Alright… David and Mia!" said Maya, "Do you like those names, you two?" She jiggled the babies up and down a little bit; both of them woke up and started wailing. "Uh oh! Nick, what do I do?"

Fortunately, Robyn and Phil came rushing in to the rescue and managed to get the twins to calm down.

"Mia and David… I suppose I approve of those names," said Phil, gently rocking Mia in his arms.

"Dad! You were listening in on our conversation?" Phoenix said.

"The walls here are thin," Phil replied with a shrug.

Suddenly, the door was swung violently open. "Don't worry, Mystic Maya! Auntie Pearl is here!" Pearl gasped, panting and pink in the face, "I'm sorry I took a while to get here, Mister Nick! I ran here all the way from Kurain!"

"Pearly! You really shouldn't do that!" Maya scolded, "You might pull a muscle!"

"I'm sorry, Mystic Maya!" Pearl said, "But as soon as Mister Nick called me and said that you were in trouble at the hospital, I couldn't stop myself!"

"It's alright, Pearls," said Phoenix, "Next time get a train though, alright? Anyway, I guess you'll want to meet your niece and nephew…"

Pearl sat down on the end of Maya's bed, and Robyn let her hold David, who had stopped crying and was now sniffling quietly.

"This is David," said Robyn, "You must be Pearl. I'm Phoenix – er, Mister Nick's mother."

"It's lovely to meet you!" said Pearl, "And the baby… she's so pretty! Mystic David has strong spirit powers, I can feel it!"

"Er… Pearly, David is a boy," said Maya.

"Oh! Sorry!" Pearl said, "I haven't really met many boys, you see. So I didn't know whether David was a name for a boy or a girl!"

"The other twin is a girl, though," said Maya, "Her name is Mia… you know, like Mystic Mia."

"Oh! That's so perfect!" said Pearl. She would've been jumping up and down in excitement if it weren't for the baby boy on her lap, "So, Mystic Maya, are you and Mister Nick getting married soon? You've got babies now, so you must love each other lots and lots!"

Maya blushed and glanced at Nick; he looked flushed and awkward too. It seemed that neither of them were ready yet to talk about the words they'd exchanged earlier.

"Oh, Maya… thank you so much!" Mia was practically crying after Maya had told her about the baby girl's name. "They're both so beautiful… I'm really proud of you, sis. I honestly didn't think you could go through with this, but I guess you're stronger than I thought!"

"Well, I had Nick to help me of course!" Maya said, smiling at Phoenix. "Oh, Gumshoe? Could you and Maggey pop down to burger king and get me three more burgers and a packet of fries?"

"Sure thing, pal!"

"Coming right up, Maya!" The couple headed out to the nearest fast-food restaurant for the third time that evening,

Phoenix sighed. "Maya, you really shouldn't make Maggey and Gumshoe keep running errands for you. It's kind of mean."

"But I'm hungry!" she moaned, "I don't care if it's against hospital rules, I WILL smuggle in greasy burgers!"

Larry laughed. "Don't go getting yourself fat, Maya! Although maybe if you put on a little weight, you could end up with jugs like your sister's…" He winked at Mia.

She ground her teeth together. "I swear, if I wasn't holding this baby I would slap your nauseating face…"

"Wow, you're so hot when you get feisty! You can slap me all you like, gorgeous!"

Mia freed her arm from beneath baby Mia's legs and whacked him in the face.

"Ow! Oh man, I've got a nosebleed! Why does this always happen to me?" Larry whined.

Edgeworth sighed in exasperation and led Larry outside to calm down. "That's why you shouldn't try hitting on dead people, Butz…"

"Sexist idiot," said Mia, "Sometimes I wish Pearl's clothes weren't so ridiculously revealing…"

Phoenix suddenly looked embarrassed as a though occurred to him. "Um… speaking of, uh, breasts…"

Mia glared at him. "Nobody was speaking of breasts, Phoenix."

"Yeah, well, anyway… um, Maya, are you gonna try breastfeeding sometime soon?"

Robyn nodded in agreement. "That's right, dear, the babies will be getting hungry!"

Phil looked ill. "Urgh… I think I'll wait outside for a little while, if you'll excuse me…"

Maya bit her lip nervously. "Um… well, I don't exactly know how to. I knew we should've gone to baby classes, Nick!"

"Sorry, sorry! They just seemed like such a rip off!" Phoenix defended himself, "Anyway, my Mum can help you! And Mia!"

"Why me?" Mia asked, "I've never had kids! Why would I know anything about breastfeeding?"

Phoenix went tomato-coloured. "Well, I just figured you might know something, since you have… um… er… big, um…"

"Phoenix! I ought to slap you too, you know!" said Mia angrily, "Honestly! Men!"

"But, you know sis, you could always pull your robes up a bit around your boobs," said Maya, "Then maybe people would stop talking about them?"

"Maya!" said Mia, "Can everyone please stop talking about my boobs?"

Larry's head popped around the door. "Boobs? Where!"

"Larry, go away!" Maya, Mia and Phoenix said at once.

Robyn patted Maya's shoulder. "Don't you worry, dear. I'll help you as much as I can."

"Thanks, Robyn… Nick, are you going to wait outside?" Maya asked awkwardly.

"Okay, I guess that would be best…" Phoenix agreed.

"Why not stay?" asked Robyn, "You are her boyfriend, after all, Phoenix! I'm sure it's no big deal!"

Phoenix rubbed the back of his spikes sheepishly. "Actually, Mum, I guess I should tell you. Maya and I… were not even dating. We're just friends. All this," he gestured towards the twins, "Was a drunken accident."

"Oh, Phoenix!" said Robyn, "I didn't bring you up to be that kind of a boy. Oh well, I suppose I can forgive you, since you're willing to stand by Maya in all this…" She looked a little upset.

"I'm sorry, Mum…" Phoenix hugged her before going to wait outside.

Phil looked at him sternly as he arrived in the corridor outside Maya's hospital room.

"I guess you heard that?" said Phoenix. Phil nodded. "I'm sorry, Dad… I don't want to be a disappointment to you or Mum. It was an accident, I swear…"

"Ha. I already knew from the beginning," said Phil.

"You did? How?"

"Male intuition."

"…Huh? I thought it was women who had that intu-what's-it thing?" said Phoenix.

"Men can have it too. Only the intelligent ones, though," said Phil, "Clearly, you don't. But it's alright, son. Nobody's perfect." He slapped Phoenix on the back.

"Um… thanks, Dad." Phoenix smiled a little; this seemed to be his father's own unique way of forgiving him for having illegitimate children with Maya.

Maya was pretty pleased with herself; she'd been feeding David for nearly a full minute now, and everything was going fine.

"Well done, Maya! You're really getting the hang of it!" Robyn congratulated her.

"Yeah! It feels pretty weird, though… I guess I'll just have to get used to it!"

"Do you want me to feed baby Mystic Mia? I think she's hungry!" said Pearl; the older Mia had already departed back to the spirit world.

"Um, Pearly, I don't think…"

"But it's alright, Mystic Maya! I've got nipples too! I can manage!" Pearl started undoing her acolyte robes.

Maya suddenly remembered that although she'd decided to give Pearl the 'talk' sometime, she still hadn't got around to it. Darn. "Listen, Pearly… um… you're a little young, alright? Only big girls can do that. And only ones who have had a baby."

"Oh. Ok!" Pearl said, seeming to understand, "So I'd need to have 'special nipples' like you, right Mystic Maya?"

"Er… 'special nipples'? Do I even want to know what that is!" Maya asked.

"It's ok, Mister Detective Dick told me all about it!"

"Oh no, not Gumshoe's sex education lessons again…" Maya groaned, "I REALLY need to have a word with him! We'll talk about this later, OK Pearly?"

"Yay!" said Pearl, "I love learning new things!"

Baby Mia started sniffling, then moved on to full-blown crying. "I think she's hungry," said Robyn, "Maybe we should switch over."

Luckily David seemed ready to stop drinking, and Maya eased him in to Robyn's arms. She was surprised at how un-awkward it was being topless in front of Phoenix's Mum; she supposed that in a way, Robyn was acting like the mother she didn't have. It was kind of sweet really, but sad too.

She was OK with Robyn seeing her half-naked, and Pearl too, since they were like sisters. But it would be so embarrassing if someone else walked in-

"Burgers!" shouted Detective Gumshoe; the door flew open, revealing Maya's boobs to everyone stood outside in the corridor.


	17. Big Yellow Schoolbus

Three days later, the babies were doing great; thankfully, they were both strong and healthy. The doctors said that Maya would only have to stay in hospital for a couple more days before she could take Mia and David home.

The two newborns seemed to be constantly visited and fussed; Phoenix's parents were staying at his flat, while Phoenix mostly slept on the sofa at the hospital. Plus their friends kept popping in to see how things were going.

But for what seemed like the first time since David and Mia were born, Maya and Phoenix were now alone in the room together. The babies were fast asleep, and they were free of visitors and medical staff.

"Nick… we need to talk," Maya said firmly.

"A-about what?" he asked. It seemed the like the dreaded topic of the "I love you"s they had exchanged three days previously was about to surface.

She sighed. "Don't you remember, Nick? Just before the twins were born, you said some… um… things. And I said some things in return. You know?"

Phoenix tried to hide his embarrassment. "Um, er, what things? You've lost me there, Maya…"

"Nick! You know exactly what I mean!" said Maya, "We need to stop avoiding it, okay? What I want to know is… did you mean what you said?"

Phoenix thought for a moment in silence. "Well… the truth is…" he began, "I don't really know. I kind of said it on the spur of the moment, without thinking about it beforehand. So maybe I didn't mean it. But maybe… maybe I did. I just don't know yet!"

"Hmm. Me neither," Maya agreed, "I think it was kind of a spur of the moment thing for me too. So I'm not sure, either."

There was a heavy silence. Finally Phoenix spoke up. "But, you know, I think that maybe I do… feel something for you. So I reckon we should wait a bit until we've got the hang of this parenting thing, and then perhaps we could see how things go from there?"

"Yeah, you're right. The twins should come first right now. I'm way too exhausted lately to even consider dating or anything like that!" said Maya, "But, uh… what about 'her'?"

"Who is 'her'?" Phoenix asked.

"You know… Franziska. Do you… have feelings for her?" Maya asked nervously.

Phoenix's eyes widened. "Oh my god, I totally forgot about her! You're right, I need to do something about that!"

"Maybe you should just break it off with her?"

"Yeah, I think that would be the best option. I mean, I never really had serious feelings for her anyway."

"You didn't?" Maya seemed surprised, "Well, you seemed keen enough a few weeks ago!"

"I guess she just made me feel 'wanted', you know? I don't really get much female attention these days," Phoenix admitted sadly, "But I never loved her or anything. The only problem is, from her body language, I think she really likes me! I think I might break her heart if I dump her!"

"Oh dear," said Maya, "I guess you'll just have to sort things out as soon as possible, then – that's much kinder than leading her on for a while and then ending it, right?"

"Hmm, very wise," said Phoenix, "Yeah. I'll go and do it right now!" He got up and shoved his mobile into his jeans pocket. "I'll see you later, ok? Call me if there's a problem!"

"Okay, good luck!" Maya waved goodbye as he left. "I should be able to handle the babies on my own for a little while," she thought to herself, "I mean, how hard can it be to look after a couple of newborn twins?"

"Now, where would Franziska von Karma be on a Monday afternoon?" Phoenix wondered to himself, "The prosecutors' office, I guess…" He grinned at his luck as the right bus pulled in to the bus stop where he was waiting.

After paying the driver and collecting a ticket, he sat down by a window and considered what he would say to her. All the phrases he could come up with sounded kind of mean; he really didn't want to make it more upsetting than it had to be. The poor girl seemed to really care about him.

"Penny for your thoughts, Trite?" said a familiar voice, a little mockingly. Phoenix almost jumped out of his skin as prosecutor Godot sat down next to him.

"Ah! Er, what are you doing here?"

"Heading to the prosecutors' office, same as you," the prosecutor said with a smirk.

"Wait a second… shouldn't you be in prison?"

"Ha..!" Godot laughed and took a sip of his coffee.

There was a pause. "Is that… all you have to say?" Phoenix asked incredulously.

"What else is there to say? The world works in mysterious ways, Trite." Godot grinned, shaking his head, before gulping down some more coffee. "So, what is a man like you so deep in thought about? Perhaps, you are pondering how to ask the kitten you like out on a date?"

"Actually, kind of the opposite," Phoenix confessed, "I'm trying to figure out how to dump my girlfriend."

Godot did a double take. "You have a girlfriend? Now I've heard it all."

"Thanks," Phoenix said sarcastically, "So, since you're so 'wise'… how do I get rid of her without upsetting her?"

The coffee-drinking prosecutor shrugged. "Just start seeing someone else. I'm sure she'll notice soon enough and realise that it's over. Then you just avoid her so she can't get angry with you – a simple breakup, avoiding direct confrontation."

"What? That's horrible!" said Phoenix, "I can't just start dating another girl and hope she takes the hint! I thought you'd have some helpful proverb or something."

"What would be the point? You never understand them anyway," said Godot, "And that's how a ladies man like me would get rid of an annoying girlfriend."

"Huh. Just seems like the cowardly way out, if you ask me," said Phoenix.

Godot smirked and changed the subject. "So who is this 'girlfriend' of yours? My guess is it's either a blow-up doll, or Maya Fey."

"Hey! I am NOT dating a blow-up doll! And it's not Maya either, for your information!"

"Ah, so you're a bit of a player then, I see," Godot laughed, "Getting Maya pregnant whilst seeing another girl. I wouldn't have thought you were the type, Trite."

"It's not like that!"

"Isn't it?"

"No!" said Phoenix, "Well… I suppose it is a little bit like that, yeah. But I'm not some kind of womanizer!"

"Ha…! You may not be a player, but you've still been spreading the seed, haven't you? Speaking of which… has your offspring left the comforts of the womb yet?"

"Yeah, a few days ago, actually," said Phoenix, "We had twins. Mia and David." His proud fatherly instincts took over and he showed Godot a photo of the babies on his phone.

"Ah. Named after my kitten. That's a good choice, Trite." Godot fell silent then, all of his mocking tone gone. Phoenix wondered if maybe he was thinking about Mia, and the child they never had; Maya explained to Phoenix about Mia's abortion a few months ago.

He was brought out of his reverie as the bus clanged to a halt outside the prosecutors' offices. He stood up and got off of the bus, ready to go and find Franziska.

"It was interesting speaking to you, Mr Wright," said Godot, "Maybe we'll meet again sometime, maybe not. Depends where fate takes us."

"Well we probably will, since we're both lawyers…" said Phoenix.

"Ha…! That was merely a façade," said Godot, "I no longer work in the prosecuting profession. They tend to look down on you once you've committed murder."

"Then… what were you doing on the bus?"

"There's a good coffee shop near here, you know. That's where I'm headed."

"Oh, right," said Phoenix, "Well… yeah, maybe I'll see you around." Phoenix supposed Godot wasn't so bad; after all, he was the guy who risked his life to rescue Maya. "You could come and visit the twins one day… if you wanted."

"You know, I'd like that," said Godot, "Maybe I'll take you up on your offer. Oh, and good luck with that girl trouble of yours." He turned the corner and disappeared out of sight, still clutching a coffee mug in one hand.

"Nick, where are you!" Maya wailed, "Please hurry back!"

She felt like crying. She had a throbbing headache, and David had started screaming pretty much as soon as Phoenix had left. That was over an hour ago, and since then, Mia had woken up and joined in the ear-splitting crying session.

"Come on, you guys…. I just want to get some sleep!" Maya was trying to breastfeed Mia, but David was getting impatient now, his face bright red and his tiny fists thrashing around. Maya tried to remove Mia from her nipple, but she wasn't done feeding yet and began bawling at the top of her lungs again.

Maya laid Mia down on the bed and picked up David, rocking him frantically in a desperate effort to calm him down. He reached out his fingers and gripped onto her hair, yanking it hard as he writhed about in her arms.

"Ouch! David, don't pull Mommy's hair –!" Maya suddenly noticed Mia, who she'd put down by the edge of the bed; the tiny baby was wriggling around as she cried, and was about to topple right off of the side and onto the floor. Panicking, Maya practically threw David out of her arms and grabbed Mia before she could come to any harm. David seemed to turn up the volume even higher, his face going purple with the strain of non-stop crying.

Maya's head pounded even harder. All she could hear was the grating sound of babies crying. Now Mia was tugging on her hair, making the headache even worse. "I… I can't deal with this any more!" Maya cried, her voice cracking as she burst into tears.

Sobbing, she put both babies back into their plastic cots, prising Mia's fingers from her hair a little too forcefully. Then she got back into bed, pulling the pillow over her ears to try and drown out the babies screaming, and just lay there and cried.

Phoenix was in luck; he didn't have to go hunting down Franziska after all. He bumped into her right outside the prosecutors' office.

"Ah, Phoenix Wright! Long time no see," she said, "I hear that congratulations are in order…?"

"Um, yeah…" said Phoenix, "Listen, can we talk?"

"Well, I was just on my way to the courthouse. I have a trial to prepare for, you see. So please make it quick."

"Oh, uh, it's kind of serious, so maybe I shouldn't rush it…"

"Just spit it out, alright? I haven't got all day!" she snapped, "I mean, er… why don't you just tell me now, Feenie?"

"Um… well, I, er, think that maybe we should, um, end our relationship," he stuttered nervously.

"Oh, is that it? Alright," said Franziska, relieved that it wasn't something more serious. Besides, she was getting sick of acting like she fancied him anyway – it was kind of repulsive. Hopefully she'd kept her act up long enough to make Edgeworth jealous. It was convenient that Phoenix was ending it before she had to. "So, I suppose I'll see you around." She brushed past Phoenix, about to cross the road.

He scratched his head, confused. Why was she acting so casual? Ah – she must be trying to hide how hurt she was feeling. "Franziska – wait!" he called, "I'm really sorry about this! Do you want to talk about it after your trial?"

"No, really, it's fine," she said, a little irritated, "I need to go now! Honestly, I'm fine about it!" She glanced in both directions before stepping out into the road.

Phoenix quickly considered what she'd said. He knew how confusing girls could be, and he was pretty sure that when a girl said she was 'fine', it meant that she really wasn't. He just couldn't let things end that way between them.

"Franziska, please!" he cried, "Just wait a second, let me explain! Franziska!"

She stopped and turned around, still in the middle of the road. "What! Can't you see I'm trying to get somewhere?"

"But… I'm so sorry! I think you're a really great person, and I'm just really sorry that it had to end this way!"

"Well, guess what?" she said with a smirk, "I never liked you anyway. I only did this to make Edgeworth jealous – to be honest, I find you slightly sickening. So you can take your stupid apology and shove it up your big, fat, hairy- aaaaargh!" Franziska let out a high-pitched, blood-curdling scream as a big yellow school bus smacked into her.

"Franziska! No!" Phoenix yelled; she'd been thrown about five feet across the ground and was lying in a crumpled heap on the tarmac, a little blood trickling onto the road.

"Oh, man! Did that really just happen?" asked Gumshoe, suddenly running up behind Phoenix; he'd been nearby and had just witnessed the whole thing, "You know, I've fantasised about that happening ever since that horrible time when she planted a tracking device on me… but somehow it doesn't seem so cool when it's real, pal."

"Gumshoe!" Phoenix cried, "Don't just stand there talking! We need to get help!"

The bus had stopped and the driver rushed over to them, followed by an excited crowd of school kids. "Oh, man! I'm such a lousy human being!" the driver wailed, "Nick, you and Edgey were right all along! I'm the cause of every bad thing that every happens!"

"Larry!" Phoenix exclaimed, "You just ran over Franziska!"

"Hey, Larry Butt!" said Gumshoe, "Pal, I'm arresting you for manslaughter!" He grabbed Larry and handcuffed him.

"No! She's not dead yet!" Phoenix said desperately, "She can't be! And why hasn't anyone called an ambulance?"

A pained voice came from behind him: "I called them, they're on their way…!" Phoenix turned around; it was Edgeworth. He rushed over to Franziska and knelt by her side, grabbed her wrist and feeling for a pulse. "She's still alive, Wright… but perhaps only just."

Phoenix hurried over, dropping down onto his knees. He tried to reach over and pick Franziska up off the road, but Edgeworth slapped his hands away. "Don't touch her! She may have spinal injuries."

His throat dry with panic, Phoenix moved away; Edgeworth gently held Franziska's fragile wrist. "Stay with me, Franny," he said desperately, "Please… stay with me…"

Phoenix sat on the road, feeling completely useless and pathetic. To be honest, he felt like curling up on the ground and crying. Just a second ago he'd been worrying about how to break up with Franziska; the next she was dying in the middle of the road. It was too much to take in.

He heard the sound of sirens screeching in the distance. Would they reach Franziska in time… or would it be too late…?


	18. Light at the End of the Tunnel

Author's note: I've just realised that whenever I upload a chapter on here, it gets rid of any excessive spaces between lines. But the trouble is, I always use excessive spaces to show when the story has changed to a different place or when time has passed, and now you can't tell when that has happened. So basically, if you're reading the story and it suddenly skips from one place to another, or some characters suddenly appear that weren't there before, then that is why... if that makes any sense XD From now on I will make sure to seperate things properly :)

* * *

"Maya! Something terrible's happ- what's going on?" Phoenix had burst into Maya's hospital room to be greeted by the scene of Maya weeping on the bed and the twins screaming in the corner.

"I'm… so s-sorry, N-Nick…" she sobbed, "I just c-couldn't take it any more!"

He reached over and scooped up David into his arms, then popped a dummy into Mia's mouth. "It's okay, Daddy's here…" he whispered soothingly, swaying from side to side. David's crying softened into little whimpers. "I think they're hungry, that's all," he told Maya.

"I know!" she said, "But it was too much! I'm tired, my head hurts… they just wouldn't stop crying! I couldn't deal with it!" Fresh tears sprung from Maya's eyes.

"Oh, Maya…" he said softly, "It's alright. It's stressful looking after two babies at once."

"No, it's not alright! I'm a terrible mother!" Maya wailed, burying her face in her hands.

Phoenix sat down next to her. "Listen, can you hold David for a minute? I'll call my mother, and then I'll find the nurse and see if she's got any spare milk we can give them. It'll be alright."

Maya nodded, too distraught to speak, and held David. Phoenix got up, dialling his mother's number quickly on his mobile. "Could you come to the hospital? …Yeah, you don't mind do you? … She's a little stressed, that's all…" he was saying.

She sighed. A little stressed… Phoenix really didn't seemed to understand just how hopeless she'd felt before he'd turned up.

"Right, I'll go and find the nurse," Phoenix said, putting away his phone. "Will you be ok alone while I look for her?"

"Y-yeah… I think so…" Phoenix left, and Maya was stuck feeling useless once again. She held David tightly, looking into her baby's wide blue eyes. "I'm sorry, David… sorry you had to get stuck with a crap mum like me. You deserve more than this."

Maya shed a few more tears before Phoenix returned, with the midwife following behind him.

"Don't worry, now," she said, taking David from Maya, "I've got some spare baby milk here and I've just warmed it up, so we can get these two fed." She handed one bottle to Phoenix, who picked up Mia and started feeding her the milk. The twins looked much happier at once.

After a couple of minutes, Maya's tears had dried and she'd calmed down considerably. "Um, Nick…"

"Yes, Maya?"

"What were you saying earlier? Something about 'you won't believe what just happened'?"

"Oh… Franziska got hit by a bus," he replied gravely.

"Are you serious!"

"Deadly serious," said Phoenix, before instantly regretting his bad choice of words.

"Is she alright?" Maya said, still in shock.

"She's in intensive care right now," Phoenix explained, "Only Edgeworth's with her, so I don't know what condition she's in right now. Oh, and they arrested Larry."

"Larry? Why?"

"Well… remember how he told us a little while ago that he'd got a new job as a bus driver?"

Maya thought for a second. "Um, yeah, I think I remember him saying something like that…. Wait, you don't mean!"

"Yep. Larry's the unfortunate guy who hit her."

"Oh no! That's awful!"

"That's the Butz… after all, when something smells…" Phoenix sighed, "But the worst part is, I feel like it's all my fault!"

"What? Of course it's not your fault, Nick! If anyone is to blame it's Larry, or Franziska for not looking where she was going!" Maya said, trying to reassure him.

Phoenix shook his head. "But I distracted her when she was crossing the road, Maya. I was stupid, and I thought she was upset, so I kept trying to apologise… then she turned round and told me that she only dated me to make Edgeworth jealous."

"Really? That's terrible!"

"Yeah… but that's when she got hit by that bus. So… I feel like it's my fault. She was just trying to cross the road, but I kept on persisting… if I hadn't been such an idiot, maybe none of this would have happened."

Maya frowned. "Wow. I didn't realise Franziska would be such a bitch. Leading you on like that… and she's been really mean to everyone lately. She hasn't spoken to Maggey since the wedding, even though she did nothing wrong!"

"What!" Phoenix gasped, "Maya, are you saying that Franziska deserved to be hit by a bus?"

"No, no!" Maya quickly replied, "I just mean that Franziska's not completely innocent, ok? So don't go blaming yourself for it, Nick."

Phoenix said nothing; it was impossible to persuade himself that it wasn't his fault. He just hoped so much that Franziska would pull through…

"Aww, come on, we're friends! Let me outta here!" Larry pleaded.

"No way, pal," said Gumshoe, "If she dies, you're in serious trouble. I can't let a killer like you loose on the streets!"

"But Franzy's still alive, right? So I haven't even done anything wrong!"

"You still hit a somewhat innocent young woman with a car!" said Gumshoe, "As a detective, it's my civil duty to lock you up!" He slammed the cell door shut and locked it. "I'll be back later to sort you out when we've heard news from the hospital. Until then… you'd better say your prayers, pal."

Franziska groaned and sat up. Her head was pounding and her whole body felt weak and broken. She pretty much felt like she'd been hit by a bus.

Slowly, the memories came back to her. She remembered the mocking tone of her voice as she spoke to that fool, Phoenix Wright. Then she remembered the sudden impact of something yellow and heavy, smacking into her side. She had a brief recollection of flying through the air, her head landing on the pavement, her cheek being grazed against the rough tarmac. After that, all she could remember was the strong, metallic taste of blood, and then nothing.

But where was she? It was pitch black, so dark she couldn't even see her hands, and totally silent. She squinted, looking around, and noticed something. She'd been wrong; it wasn't completely dark. There was a tiny pinprick of light, somewhere in the distance. It was small, but intensely bright.

She heaved her wrecked body up off the ground and got shakily to her feet. The only logical conclusion would be to go towards the light, right? She started walking, stumbling a little and bumping her hand on a smooth, curved surface on her left hand side. She reached for the other side – there was a kind of curved wall there too. And another one above her head. Franziska could only conclude that she was in some kind of tunnel.

She sighed, removing her hand from the wall, and kept walking. What other option did she have but to keep on moving towards the light at the end of this mysterious tunnel? There was nowhere else to go.

As she walked, she remembered something. A silly American metaphor, where it was believed that when you died, you went through a tunnel towards the light. And if you wanted to survive, you had to stay away from the light. Something foolish like that, anyway…

With a gasp, Franziska stopped in her tracks, heart pounding furiously. She could be… dead, could she? Could it be that the large object that hit her had killed her, and that's why she was in this tunnel, walking towards the light?

She shook her head fiercely. Of course not. That was simply foolish. She – the great Franziska von Karma – could not die at the mere age of twenty! She firmly decided that she had to stay away from the light at all costs. She was not ready to go yet!

But strangely, the light kept coming closer. She looked down; in the dim glow cast out by the prick of light, she saw that her legs were moving of their own accord, carrying her towards the light, towards her certain death.

"Ah! Stop!" she screamed, trying to force her legs to stay still; but they had a mind of their own. She shrieked and grabbed at them with her hands, but her legs were too strong.

It seemed that her fate was already decided.

As the light grew steadily brighter and closer, Franziska thought of all she would be leaving behind. Phoenix Wright… she remembered his agonized face as she so cruelly revealed the way she'd been treating him. He was a good person inside – a little foolish maybe, but her still had a good heart. She realised now how unfair of her it had been to use him like that, and then throw him away like he was disposable. It had been so childish of her. If only she could've apologised…

She thought of the other foolish people who had once called themselves her friends. Maggey Byrde had been a loyal and trustworthy companion, someone she could even have a little fun with… but Franziska had just pushed her away, not even giving a good reason for ending their friendship.

Detective Gumshoe had always tried to be friendly towards her… she remembered the many times he'd called her 'pal'. A friendly enough gesture, but Franziska had brutally whipped him for it. In fact, she'd treated Gumshoe pretty badly ever since she'd met him. He didn't deserve any of the harsh punishments she gave him, really.

And then there was Maya Fey… she'd done something terrible of course, by making up rumours about Franziska. But she'd apologised over and over, and like a stubborn fool, Franziska had refused to forgive her. It seemed a shame now that they'd never got a chance to make up.

And then there was that idiot, Larry Butz… he'd admired her, even wanted to make a book based on her, but she'd just been mean to him.

If only she could've had one last chance to make it up to these people, the ones who'd been so kind to her.

The light was coming closer. She still couldn't stop herself; even if she wanted to repay those people for her kindness, it wasn't enough for her to stay alive.

But there was one other person. The man she loved, Miles Edgeworth. She'd let him fall for her, and then driven him away. And after that, instead of just saying sorry, she'd messed things up even more by trying to make him jealous. What a complete and utter fool she'd been.

Franziska had always insisted on keeping their relationship a secret, but she realised now that it hadn't been because of her father at all. The truth was, she hadn't wanted people to know that Miles Edgeworth was her one weakness; she hadn't wanted to reveal to the world that she depended on another person. It was her own foolish pride that had ruined her one chance to be truly happy.

Then, all of a sudden, his voice pierced through the dark silence.

"Franziska, stay with me! Please, Franny… don't leave me!"

"Miles…. Edgeworth…" she gasped. Her throat felt sore and dry. She willed her legs to stop, wanting so badly to step away from the light and back into the real world, with him.

"You can pull through this, Franziska… please…!" he begged. She could feel his fingers on her arm, trying to pull her back to reality.

"I'm trying!" she replied. Her voice echoed away, not yet strong enough for him to hear her.

Something soft brushed against her cheek; his lips, no doubt. She felt his warm breath by her ear. "I love you, Franziska von Karma. Please, wake up!"

With a strangled cry, Franziska forced her legs to stop walking. The light was so close but she was no longer being pulled towards it. The ground seemed to collapse out form beneath her feet, as if she was falling… suddenly she found herself lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. She was very much alive, and very much in pain.

Edgeworth's hand snapped up, his eyes wide. "Franziska…? Are you alright?"

She tried turning her head to look at him, but found herself restricted by a neck brace. Her face stung as the grazed area touched the side of brace.

"…Ow," she mumbled, "Everything hurts…" It even hurt to talk; her throat felt as though she'd swallowed a large, jagged rock.

"Oh, Franny, I thought you'd… you'd…" he murmured, gently stroking her hair, "Thank goodness you're alright. The doctors were beginning to think you wouldn't wake up."

"How long have I been unconscious for…?"

"Three days."

"Three!" she gasped, "I… I missed the trial yesterday!" She tried to sit up, but was stopped by a pain in her back. She now noticed that one of her legs was in a large cast, as well as one arm. "Oh… I broke my whipping arm again."

Edgeworth let out a quiet laugh. "I thought you'd be annoyed at that."

There was something she still didn't understand. "W-why are you here? Don't you hate me?" she asked.

He frowned. "Hate you? Of course not! How could I ever hate you? I love you, you know that."

"But I treated you so badly…"

"It doesn't matter now, Franny. What matters is that you're alright," he said, patting her good arm.

She sighed. "I've been so horrible to everyone, Miles. All the people who were our friends… I've pushed them away and upset them. And I'm so glad I've been given this second chance to make it up to them. Especially to you."

Edgeworth looked shocked. "Are you sure you're feeling ok? You didn't bump your head when you got hit by that bus, did you?"

"H-hit by a bus? I got hit by a bus!" she exclaimed, "So that's what the large yellow thing was!"

"Yes, a school bus, I think it was. You're rather lucky that you didn't break more bones."

"I don't believe this! Franziska von Karma does NOT get hit by school buses! When I find the fool who did this to me, I shall whip them until they beg for mercy, then I will sue them for every penny they own, and then make sure they are locked up in a small cell and then I shall personally throw away the key!"

"That's more like it!" said Edgeworth, "So you're still the same ruthless Franziska von Karma I know and love."

She glared at him. "I do not have brain damage or anything like that, Miles. I merely think that I ought to apologise to all the people I may have upset recently. Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey, Maggey Byrde, Detective Gumshoe, Larry Butz…"

"Larry Butz?" he interrupted her, an amused look on his face, "So are you going to apologise to him before or after locking him up and throwing away the key?"

"Pardon? What do you mean?"

Edgeworth laughed. "He's the bus driver who ran you over, Franny."

The look on her face was priceless. "Hmph. Well, I…" She fell silent, unsure of what to do.

"He is sincerely sorry, mind you," said Edgeworth, "He really doesn't want to go to jail. He's a good guy really, even if he's a bit… well, careless."

"Well, how about this for a compromise?" said Franziska, "I shall not press charges against him for hitting me with the bus. After all, I was foolishly stood in the road, so I must accept some responsibility. However, I shall use to my whip to exact my punishment upon him. And I will not be modelling for his foolish book anytime soon!"

"Alright. I'll have to give Gumshoe a call late and ask him to let Larry go," said Edgeworth.

"Thank you, Miles," she said, "Oh, and thank you for being here by my side. I doubt I would have woken up if you weren't here."

His face softened. "You would have woken up regardless, I'm sure of it. You're stronger than you look, Franziska."

She smiled back at him, unable to keep a faint blush from spreading across her cheeks. "You're just trying to flatter me, Miles."

He raised an eyebrow. "Miles? Not calling by my full name anymore, Franziska von Karma?"

She shrugged, then winced in pain; she hadn't realised that her shoulder blade was broken too. "I think we are on first name terms now, Miles."

He smiled. "I'm glad you finally think so, Franny." He squeezed her hand, then leant over and kissed her forehead. "So… about our relationship, Franziska. When you recover, do you think we could… well… start again?"

She pretended to consider this for a moment. "Or we could just pick up where we left off, before things went wrong. I am truly sorry for all the pressure I put on you, Miles. This time, nothing has to be kept secret."

"I forgive you," he said with a smile, before kissing her on the lips.

As their mouths melted together, Franziska thought to herself: if it weren't for the several broken bones, extreme discomfort, and excruciating pain, this would be paradise.


	19. Master

"Thanks, Nick!" Maya squealed, as Phoenix handed her a tray full of pancakes, "But you forgot the maple syrup!"

He groaned. "Can't you just be grateful that I made you breakfast in bed?"

"But it's a big day, Nick! I can't waste time fetching things from the kitchen when I could be getting ready!"

"Alright, alright… I'll get you the syrup!" He put the tray down on her bed and walked off.

Maya chewed on a mouthful of pancake as she opened her wardrobe to take another look at her new robe; the robe belonging to the master of Kurain. In only a few short hours she would be wearing it as she was officially declared to be the master.

A month had passed since the birth of the twins, and the elders had decided that they could not wait any longer; Kurain needed a master. And today was the day they had set for the ceremony.

She ran her fingers along the intricately embroidered purple silk, hardly able to believe that the day had finally come.

The door to her room opened, revealing a person holding a bottle of syrup; but to Maya's surprise, it wasn't Nick.

"Robyn!" Maya said happily, "When did you get here?"

"Just now, Maya dear! I offered to bring this to you, since we need to catch up!" She handed Maya the bottle, and Maya started eagerly pouring it all over the pancakes.

"Mmm, thanks!" she replied, shovelling in some more pancake.

"So how have you been, Maya?" Robyn asked, "Is everything alright with the twins?"

Maya chewed a little more, then swallowed before answering. "Yeah, pretty much… it's still difficult though. I'm always so tired!" Maya yawned, as if to demonstrate the point.

Robyn nodded. "Yes, it was tough enough for me with just Phoenix as a baby… two in one go must be a nightmare!"

"Well, it gets easier," said Maya, "We're getting used to things now. If it hadn't been for you and Phil in the first couple of weeks I'd probably have had a mental breakdown or something! And it's brilliant that Nick lives here in Kurain at the moment so he can help me!"

"Yes, he seems to be really happy here," Robyn said, "Erm… I don't mean to be rude, but have you and Phoenix considered… well, dating?"

Maya blushed. "Um… we've talked about it a little," she admitted, "And… we think that maybe one day, in the future…"

Robyn was practically grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, that would be wonderful! You could even get ma-" She stopped herself, "I mean, er, I don't want you to feel pressured! These things take time!" She patted Maya's shoulder, still looking incredibly pleased.

There was a knock on the door. "Mystic Maya? Can I come in?"

"Sure, Pearly!"

Pearl entered the room, cradling David in her arms. "He's a bit hungry!" She handed him to Maya.

"Oh, I'd better feed him before I get dressed!" Maya undid the top buttons of her pyjamas and started to breastfeed David; she'd gotten so used to this in the last month, it was no trouble to her at all.

"I think Mia is a bit hungry too, but Mr Phil wouldn't let me have her!" Pearl said, looking a little angry.

"Oh dear, he adores her a bit too much, I think," said Robyn, "I'll try and rescue the poor little thing!" She went off to go and find Phil.

Pearl sat down on Maya's bed and began stroking David's soft, fluff hair as he drank his milk. "Are you excited to become the master, Mystic Maya?" 

"I guess so," she replied, "It's going to be so weird though, being in charge of a whole village!"

"Well, you'll be great!" said Pearl, "There is no one who could make a better master than you!"

Not in your mother's opinion, Maya thought to herself. But she kept her mouth closed so as not to upset Pearl, who still didn't understand Morgan's evil schemes.

After finishing her pancakes, Maya decided it was time to put on the sacred robe. Pearl helped her into it, then one of the other spirit mediums from the village came to do Maya's hair, curling it into an intricately styled bun. She added a little makeup before smiling at the results and leaving to help the elders prepare.

"Look in the mirror, Mystic Maya!" Pearl said excited.

"Alright, alright…" Maya turned to stare in awe at her reflection. She looked like a truly different person; much older and wiser than usual. She really looked like the master of a village of spirit mediums. "Wow!"

"I know!" said Pearl, "You are so pretty!"

"We'd better start greeting the guests, they'll be here soon," Maya said, tearing her eyes away from the beautiful reflection that she could hardly believe was her.

Pearl picked up David, who had been lying on the bed. They walked out of Maya's room, down the corridor, and into Fey Manor's airy hallway. The training hall was sealed off; this was being prepared for the ceremony by the village elders.

"Hey, Nick!" said Maya.

He turned round, then suddenly his mouth dropped open. "Maya…? Is that you?"

"Yeah, of course it is, silly!"

"Wow! You look… just… wow…!"

She blushed a little; Phoenix couldn't keep his eyes off her.

"You look wonderful, darling!" Robyn gushed, "Here, let me hold David, Pearl dear!"

Pearl handed over the baby to his grandmother. They noticed Phil in the corner, feeding Mia a bottle of warm milk. He seemed too distracted by the baby to even notice that Maya had entered the room.

Robyn cleared her throat loudly, and Phil finally looked round. He seemed surprised at Maya's appearance.

"Oh, er, Maya!" he said, "You look…. Nice." He briefly glanced at her outfit before quickly turning his attentions back to baby Mia.

"Nice…? Is that the best he could do?" said Phoenix, rolling his eyes, "Well I suppose it's a pretty good compliment, coming from Dad."

The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Pearl hurried forwards to slide back the front door, letting in Gumshoe and Maggey.

"Hey, pal!" Gumshoe cried, "Oh, wow, you look like a real gypsy, Maya! Well done!"

"Er… I'm a spirit medium…" she corrected him.

"You look so great!" said Maggey. She rushed forwards for a hug, then hesitated. "Oops, better not ruin your hair!"

"Haha, probably not. It took quite a while to do!" said Maya.

"Hey, we've got some news!" said Gumshoe loudly, "Maggey's-"

Maggey shushed him quickly. "Not now, Dick! This is Maya's day! We'll tell her the news tomorrow."

"Aw, okay. But I was so excited! Our own baby-"

"Shhh!" she said, nudging his elbow, "Let's not steal the limelight from Maya!"

"Um… let me guess, Maggey's pregnant?" said Maya.

"Darn it! How did you figure that out, pal?" asked Gumshoe.

Maya just rolled her eyes at him. "Congratulations, Maggey! Hey, it could be friends with Mia and David!"

"Yay!" said Maggey, "Oh, I'm so excited! But I'm not getting my hopes up too much. After all, everything usually goes wrong for me…" She looked a little sad.

Maya patted her shoulder. "Hey, it'll be fine! After all, you and Gumshoe got married, right? That was lucky! And both of you are doing fine! Maybe you're starting to get lucky for once!"

"I sure hope so!" 

There was a second ringing sound; Pearl rushed to answer the door once again. "Oh! Mister Laurice!" she said, "Hello!"

"Hey, Pearl, my lil cutie!" said Larry, "What's up, guys?"

"Hi Larry!" said Maya, "Wow, it's been a while since we last saw you!"

"Yeah, and I missed you loads, Maya babe!" he said, with a grin, "Wow, you look like a million dollars! Not that you're not always cute, Maya!"

"What are you babbling about now, Larry?" Phoenix groaned.

"Hey, nice to see you too, dude!" Larry walked towards Phoenix and gave him a slightly painful pat on the back, "So, Maya's looking fine today! Are you gonna take this chance or not, Nick? Cos if you don't, I might have to!"

"I… don't know what you're talking about," said Phoenix. His slight blush gave him away. Maya found herself meeting his eye and blushing too.

Larry coughed, breaking the silence. "So how's my little Larina and Larry Junior?" he asked.

"You mean Mia and David?" said Phoenix.

"Whatever. But you know, Larry Jr would've been a rockin' name!" Larry winked, giving everyone a thumbs up. Pearl looked confused.

"I don't really understand what you're talking about, Mister Laurice…"

"Don't worry about it, Pearl," Phoenix reassured her, "Larry just spouts a load of rubbish most of the time."

She bit her thumbnail. "I still don't get it… I don't see any rubbish…"

"Never mind," said Maya, "Hmm, when's Edgeworth gonna get here? I did send him an invitation, right?" 

As if to answer her question, the doorbell chimed again. "Ah, this should be him now!" said Phoenix, opening the sliding door. Edgeworth smiled, shook his hand, and walked in; but he wasn't alone. Hobbling along behind him was Franziska von Karma, leaning heavily on a crutch with her one good arm; the other arm was in a sling.

Everyone stood in stunned silence as Edgeworth helped Franziska through the door.

Larry, insensitive as ever, broke the silence. "Hey, Franzy! Thanks for bailing me out of jail after I hit you with that bus! Er… you look great! I'm really diggin' the 'injured chick' look!"

Franziska fixed him with a murderous glare. "I must warn you that after weeks of intensive practice, I am now an ambidextrous whipper. I may have broken my whipping arm, but I can whip you just as forcefully with my good arm!"

"I thought you were going to be nice?" Edgeworth whispered.

"Not to him, he hit me with a bus!" she hissed. Edgeworth chuckled.

Phoenix coughed. "So… er… hello, Franziska. Glad to see you're out of hospital."

"She got discharged yesterday," said Edgeworth, "I'm sorry for bringing her without an invitation. Franziska has some things to say to you all."

Gumshoe nudged Phoenix. "I bet you fifty cents they're bad things, pal."

"Fifty cents?" Phoenix replied in a whisper, "You're obviously not very confident then."

"Seriously, pal, that's all the money I've got with me."

Phoenix sighed, then nodded and they shook hands.

"If you fools would shut up, I would like to say a few words," said Franziska. Everyone fell silent.

Franziska limped closer to Maya. "Maya Fey. I am sorry that I held a grudge against you for so long. I understand that you were in a difficult situation, which is why you panicked and made up rumours; you did not intend to be malicious to me. For that, I forgive you. I am also sorry for gossiping with Maggey about your pregnancy. That was very shallow and unkind of me. Thirdly, I apologise for when I tried to get you convicted of murder although you were clearly not the killer. I hope you can forgive me for my faults."

Maya stared at her, wide eyed, for a little while. "Um…, Franziska. Yeah, I forgive you. But it's ok about the murder trial thing, you were only doing your job."

Franziska shook her head. "I was only doing it for selfish reasons, not for the greater good."

"Um… alright…"

Next, Franziska moved on to Gumshoe. "Scruffy. I am sorry for whipping you and causing you numerous injuries when you often did not deserve such a violent punishment. I apologise for decreasing your pay when you were clearly already living in extreme poverty. I am also sorry for placing a tracking device on your person, and for any other misery or discomfort I caused you without good reason. And I am sorry for calling you scruffy."

Gumshoe wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Thanks pal. It means a lot to me!"

Franziska's whipping hand twitched a little when he called her 'pal', but she managed to control herself.

"Now, Maggey Byrde. I am ever so sorry for taking out my anger on you and refusing to speak to your for a considerable period of time. You were a good friend to me, and I hope that one day we can call each other friends again."

"Oh, Franziska! It's ok, we're still friends!" said Maggey. She leaned forwards to give Franziska a hug, then stopped when she remembered that hugging would probably cause Franziska a lot of pain.

Franziska smiled, letting her guard down for once. Maggey grinned back, before Franziska tuned to Phoenix.

"Phoenix Wright. I am sorry for using you to get revenge on Miles Edgeworth. That wasn't fair of me. You are a good person and did not deserve that."

"I'm sorry too," he said, "It's kind of my fault that you got hit by a bus, cos I distracted you when you were crossing the road…"

"Not at all. That was my own foolish fault, not yours," said Franziska.

"Hey… so do I get an apology now?" Larry said, grinning.

"Certainly not! You hit me with a bus! You're lucky I didn't have you sued and locked up for life!" said Franziska.

"Oh… ok," said Larry, "Well, um, thanks for not pressing charges or anything."

"You are welcome," Franziska said, attempting a smile.

Phil cleared his throat and spoke up for the first time. "If this little love fest is over, could someone make me a decent cup of tea?"

"Oh, I'll do that!" Pearl said politely, "Right this way, sir!"

Phil handed Mia to Phoenix. "Take good care of her while I'm gone, son."

Phoenix snorted. "She's my daughter, not yours! Of course I'll take good care of her!" Phil glared at him and followed Pearl to the kitchen.

"Well, shall we go into the training hall? The ceremony will start soon," said Maya. They were all about to leave when the doorbell rang. Again.

"I'll get that," said Phoenix, "Oh! Prosecutor Godot!"

"Morning, Wright," said the prosecutor, "You don't mind my intrusion, do you? I heard that there was something going down at Fey Manor and thought I'd see for myself."

"Yeah, I'm getting initiated as master of Kurain!" said Maya, "Hey, do you wanna stick around and watch, Mr Godot?"

"If that's alright with you," said Godot.

Phoenix suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah, did you want to see the babies?" he asked, "This is Mia."

He passed the baby girl over to Godot, who held her surprising tenderly. "She's certainly as beautiful as her namesake," he said approvingly.

"Well, come on! We need to get into the training hall!" said Maya. She led the way, her guests trailing behind her. They all gasped as they entered the hall; it had been completely transformed. The whole room was filled with Japanese decorations, oriental plants and lanterns, giving it a magical aura. A pathway lined with candles led to the channelling chamber, where the actual ceremony would take place.

"Wow! This place looks totally different," said Phoenix, "Oh, hey Pearls!" He waved to Pearl and Phil, who had just returned from the kitchen. Phil eyed Godot suspiciously; he didn't like it when strangers held his precious granddaughter.

"Oh, Mystic Maya, there you are!" said one of the elders, "The ceremony is almost ready to start. But firstly, there are some people who would like to speak with you."

"Really? Who?" asked Maya.

"Right this way," said the medium, "Your friends can stay here." She beckoned for Maya to follow, and led her to one of Fey Manor's smaller training rooms. Inside, two women were sat on a low couch. The elder smiled and ushered Maya inside. "I'll give you three some time to talk," she said, leaving and gently closing the door behind her.

Maya grinned, rushing forwards to the two women; her mother and her sister. Of course, it wasn't really them, but all the same their spirits were there.

"Maya!" said Misty, "Come and sit with us."

"Mother!" Maya cried. She leapt forwards into her mothers arms.

Misty laughed. "There, now, don't mess up your robes!" Maya's mother smoothed down the crumples in the silk.

"You look amazing, Maya!" Mia complimented her, "Are you excited?"

"Yeah, I think so… I'm a bit nervous as well, though."

"That's understandable," said Misty comfortingly, "I was so frightened before my own initiation ceremony, I was shaking so much I could hardly read the Spirit Oath!"

"But I'm sure you'll do just fine, Maya," said Mia, "You're strong. You'll be a great master."

"You think so?" asked Maya, biting her lip, "I feel like I'm too young for this!"

"You've had two children," said Misty, "This will be a breeze compared to that. And you'll be a wonderful master… after all, it's your destiny!"

Maya looked at Mia. "I feel a bit bad, though, sis. This should have been you! You're the eldest, after all!"

Mia laughed and shook her head. "Oh, don't go worrying about me, Maya. I willingly gave up the chance to be master when I left to become a lawyer. This role always belonged to you." She reached out her arms and gave her sister a hug. "It's nearly time, ok? We'll have to go soon."

"Alright. I think I'm ready."

Misty smiled proudly at her daughter. "Good luck, Maya," she said, "Remember that whatever happens, I am always very proud of you."

"Thanks, Mother," Maya said, trying to swallow the lump in her throat and stop herself from crying.

"Yeah, good luck sis, although you won't really need it," said Mia, "And you'd better channel me soon, ok? I miss the twins already!"

Misty tutted at her. "You really shouldn't get into the habit of channelling your dead relatives. It's abusing the power of the Kurain technique!"

"But Maya will be the master," said Mia, "So she can channel whoever she wants… particularly her lovely big sis who really wants to see her cute little niece and nephew!"

Their mother sighed. "Yes, I suppose she can…"

Maya heard her name being called from the training hall. "I'd better get going!" she said, "The elders are calling me!"

Misty and Mia hugged her one last time.

"Bye, Mother! Bye, sis!" Maya waved as she left the room and hurried back to the hall.

"Mmm, this is some delicious soup, pal!" said Gumshoe, slurping down his fifth bowl of Kurain's Secret recipe Soup.

"I wouldn't touch the strawberry dessert, though," said Maya, "My Aunt Morgan sent it over from jail, so it's probably poisoned or something…"

"Yummy, strawberry dessert!" they heard Larry saying, walking past with a plateful of pink goo.

"Larry, no….!" Maya cried, trying and failing to stop him from shoving a large spoonful into his mouth. He swallowed, looking puzzled.

"What? Is there something wrong with this dessert? It tastes great! A bit sickly though…"

"Um… no, I'm sure it's fine…" said Maya, a bit doubtfully. She decided to go and remove the dessert from the buffet table in case it really was poisoned and somebody else ate it.

She picked up the jaw-droppingly large tray of mushy pudding and headed for the incinerator, smiling as she passed all of her friends. The ceremony had been a success; in the end, reciting the spirit oath and vowing to devote her life to Kurain had been surprisingly easy, just as her mother had said.

Maya looked down at the red and yellow talisman around her neck, the one she'd be wearing for the rest of her life, until little Mia hopefully inherited it. She'd already swapped the photo inside for one of Nick, Pearly and the twins; after all, the talisman was supposed to contain the things most precious to you, and those four people were Maya's priorities right now. The previous photo was in a frame in Maya's room. Those memories of herself and Mia as kids were precious, of course… but now it was time to move on.

Maya stepped out into the cool air of the garden, heading for the old incinerator. It brought back memories of Nick; apparently there'd been some important clue in there once, although she'd been in prison at the time, so she didn't know much about it. She emptied the tray of dessert inside, on top of all the other old rubbish in there. Good riddance, since Morgan had probably concealed something nasty in there. Hopefully Larry would be alright…

"Hey, Maya! What are you doing?" It was Nick, walking towards her across the quaint Japanese-style garden.

"Oh, just getting rid of some bad food," she said, "What are you doing out here?"

"I wondered where you'd got to," he said, "I haven't really congratulated you yet, Maya. You did great!"

"Thanks!"

"And you look really nice today too."

"Um… thanks, Nick!"

He stood around awkwardly, as if he had something else to say.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"Er… is there something else you wanted?" she asked curiously. Phoenix looked nervous, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Yeah, kind of…" he looked at her weirdly, "Actually…" Phoenix stepped forwards and put his hands on Maya's face. He bent his head down and their lips met. At first Maya was a bit taken by surprise, but kissing Nick felt good, and she kissed him back. After a couple of minutes they broke apart, breathless. Phoenix's hands were still warm around her waist.

"Shall we go back inside?" Maya suggested, "It's my party, after all. Everyone will wonder where I've got to."

"Yeah, of course," said Phoenix, "After all, we've got plenty of time for kissing… and stuff…"

She grinned at him, and he took her hand. Together, they walked back in to Fey Manor.

It was way past midnight, but the party was nowhere near over. After all, as Gumshoe had said, "You only become a master-spirit-thingamajig once, pal! Might as well celebrate in style!"

The elders had long since gone to bed in disapproval, but the younger mediums were enjoying themselves as Maya and her friends showed them how to have a good time. The poor girls didn't usually get much fun at Kurain, but now that Maya was master, things were sure to change for the better.

"Larry! Back from the toilet, I see?" Phoenix laughed as Larry walked into the hall, clutching his stomach.

"Yeah, but I think I'll have to dash back there soon… ugh…" Larry stumbled over to a chair and sat down. The poor guy was the only one not enjoying the evening; it seemed that Morgan had put laxatives into the pudding. Nothing deadly, but still pretty unpleasant for the poor idiot who'd eaten it.

"Hey Nick! Come and dance with me again!" said Maya, grabbing Phoenix's arm.

"Alright! But are you sure we shouldn't turn the music down? Those poor grannies in the village won't be able to sleep!"

"Screw the grannies, this is my village now!" Maya laughed.

"Oh dear… looks like Kurain is doomed!" Phoenix joked.

Maya punched his arm. "Hey, Kurain is lucky to have me in charge! I'm just what this boring place needs!"

Phoenix laughed and put his arms around her, planting a kiss on her forehead. He noticed Pearl watching them joyfully; she gave him a big thumbs-up when she saw him looking.

He grinned back at her and kissed Maya on the lips; might as well make Pearl happy.

The two of them were dancing together when someone turned down the music.

"Hey! Turn that back up, pal!" yelled Gumshoe, "Me and Maggey are trying to dance here!"

Edgeworth got up on to the raised platform at the end of the room and cleared his throat. "Actually, I'd like to say something, if I could have everybody silent."

Everyone was quiet after a couple of seconds, all eyes on Edgeworth. Franziska narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, unsure of what he was planning to say.

"Well, as you all know, there's a young woman in this room who is very special to me," he began, "Franziska von Karma, I love you!"

Phoenix face-palmed. "Oh no, I think Edgeworth's had a bit too much to drink! I knew we shouldn't have let Larry bring that cheap beer!"

"Anyway," Edgeworth continued, "I'd like to ask her something! Franziska von Karma… will you do me the honour of being my bride?"

Franziska was outraged. "Miles! You're embarrassing yourself. You're drunk!"

He shook his head. "I've only had half a can of beer. I'm not drunk on alcohol, Franny. But perhaps I am drunk on love!"

Maya raised her eyebrows. "Wow, Edgeworth must really love her! He's behaving so… un-Edgeworth-like!"

"So, what do you say, Franny? Will you give me your hand in marriage?"

She glared at him, her face pink with anger. Eventually her eyes softened. "Oh all right, you big fool."

Edgeworth smiled triumphantly, jumping down from the stage and kissing Franziska passionately on the lips. She shoved him away, but she was still smiling.

"You could've just proposed in private, Miles," she said disapprovingly.

"Why do it in private when I want the whole world to know that I'm in love with you?"

She rolled her eyes. "You are such a fool, Miles. Now kiss me again!"

Over in the corner, Maya was now sat with Phoenix, the babies sleeping on their laps. "Oh look, Edgeworth and Franziska are making out. I think she's forgiven him for embarrassing her!"

"Good for them!" said Phoenix, "I'm sure we'll be invited to the wedding… hopefully no collapsing tapestries this time, though."

Robyn walked over and sat with them. "Hello, you two! Oh, don't you look like a sweet couple!" she said, gazing at the little family, "Well, that proposal was nice, wasn't it? Got me thinking about weddings. Maybe there will be more wedding bells sometime soon… after all, Judy said she'd bake the cake for free, and I saw this lovely hat while I was out shopping other day which would be splendid for a formal occasion, and I've found a perfect skirt to match it…" She glanced hopefully at Maya and Phoenix.

"Mum! You're embarrassing me!" Phoenix complained.

"Alright, alright, sorry! But I can always wish, can't I…?" She patted them both on the head and left them in peace.

Phoenix glanced at Maya; she was looking at him weirdly. "What?" he asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Well…" she said, "The master kind of DOES need a husband…"

"No way!" said Phoenix.

She looked offended.

"Hey, look, it's not that I wouldn't want to marry you! It's just that I'm pretty broke right now, what with the twins and all. I just can't afford a wedding!"

"Oh, alright…" she said, a sad look on her face, "You could always take out a loan, but I guess I don't mean that much to you…"

Suddenly, Pearl popped up next to them. "A loan for what? A wedding?" she said excitedly, "Yay! I can't wait for your wedding, Mystic Maya! Can I be the bridesmaid?"

"Sure you can, Pearly!" said Maya, perking up a bit, "And Maggey too!"

"Yippee! Bridesmaid!" said Maggey, who seemed to have been eavesdropping, "I'll try not to trip or break any tapestries or anything!"

"I'll keep an eye on you, pal!" said Gumshoe, "Make sure you don't mess up Maya's big day!"

"Thanks, Gumshoe!" said Maya, "I'm sure it'll all run smoothly, once Nick raises the money for it!"

The whole room seemed to be listening now. "Wonderful, wonderful!" said Robyn, "We could donate a little money, of course, but as a lawyer, I'm sure Phoenix should be able to cover most of the costs! Isn't that right, dear?"

"And I'll be your best man, right?" said Larry eagerly, "Urp! Gotta dash to the loo again!"

Phil looked pleased. "Ah, you two are finally going to be married? About time, too! Now, I'll start adding up the costs…" He pulled a calculator out of his bag. "Let's see… well, there's the suits, the wedding dress, bridesmaid's dresses, catering, the venue, paying the registrar, the florist…"

"So what do you say, Nick…?" Maya asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"I've only got one thing to say to that…" Phoenix said, taking a deep breath, "OBJECTION!"


	20. Epilogue

SOME TIME LATER

"Aw, come on, Davie, be a good boy and eat up your breakfast!" Phoenix pleaded with his almost-two-year-old son.

David responded by throwing down his plastic spoon. "No bwekfast!" he squealed.

"Aren't you hungry?" Phoenix said, as he tried placing the little spoon back into David's chubby hand.

The toddler shook his head stubbornly.

Phoenix sighed and scooped up a spoonful of mush. "Here comes the aeroplane…" He made plane noises and whirled the spoon towards his little son's pouting mouth.

"Ubdeckshun!" David suddenly shouted, flinging out his arm and poking Phoenix in the eye with his pointer finger.

Phoenix stepped back, his eye watering, before suddenly bursting into laughter at the adorably fierce expression on David's face; he reminded Phoenix so much of himself in the courtroom. "Who taught you that?" he asked between peals of laughter.

David lowered his pointing finger. "Auntie Mia."

"Ah. Makes sense," said Phoenix, "Well, wait until I teach you 'hold it' and 'take that'! I have a feeling you're going to be a natural!"

The little boy grinned, glad to have earned his father's approval, even if he was too young to quite understand what Phoenix was saying.

"But it doesn't excuse you from eating breakfast, young man!" said Phoenix sternly, picking up the spoon, "And don't try objecting again! You've got to eat up quickly, we have a wedding to go to!"

Meanwhile in the main living room of Kurain, Maya was sprawled out over the sofa watching a re-run of the Steel Samurai, with baby Mia perched on her knees.

"You won't escape me this time, Steel Samurai!" the Evil Magistrate's voice boomed as he leapt onto the screen, wielding a gleaming spear. Mia squealed in a mixture of terror and delight as the villain swooped towards the hero.

"Mia, can you remember what that guy is called?" Maya asked.

"Um… Eebil Madistate!"

"No, no… it's not 'eebil', it's 'evil'," Maya corrected her, "Can you say 'evil'?"

Mia narrowed her eyes in concentration. "Ee… ee… evil!" she managed, smiling triumphantly.

"Yay! Well done!" Maya clapped her hands and Mia giggled happily. Just then, Maya noticed Phoenix stood in the doorway with David in his arms, an amused look on his face.

"Maya?" he asked, "Why are you teaching Mia to say 'evil'?"

"Um, well, I thought she'd better learn the names of all the Steel Samurai characters sometime… so she might as well start young!"

Phoenix laughed and sat down on the sofa, putting an arm around his girlfriend. "You and your Steel Samurai, Maya. Will you ever grow out of it?"

"Probably not," Maya admitted, "So anyway, we should get dressed. What time are your parents coming?"

He checked his watch. "Er… any minute now! Come on, you don't want them to see you in your PJs!"

They whisked the twins off to their bedroom and dressed them in their best clothes; a little blue shirt and trousers for David with an adorable waistcoat, and a purple dress for Mia.

Phoenix and Maya had just pulled on their own outfits when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" said Phoenix.

He opened the heavy wooden door to Fey Manor and was almost knocked off his feet as Robyn hugged him. "Phoenix! How are you, darling? How's Maya? How are the twins?"

"They're all fine, Mum! Come in!"

Mia and David came toddling out of their bedroom excitedly. "Grampa!" Mia said, flinging herself into Phil's arms. He grinned and lifted her up.

"Hello, sweetie," he cooed, "Look what Grampa brought you!" He handed her a box of sticky buns.

"Yay! Cake!" she said, ripping open the box and reaching for a pink iced bun.

Phoenix luckily intervened before Mia ruined her new dress. "You can have those later! And you'd better share them with David!"

He tucked away the box of buns on top of a high shelf which the twins were unable to reach.

Robyn checked her watch. "Well, we'd better be on our way soon. Wasn't it lovely of young Miles to invite us to his wedding, Phil?"

"Yes. Miles was always a very polite boy," Phil agreed. Edgeworth had always been one of the few of Phoenix's schoolfriends that Phil actually approved of.

Maya appeared at last, her dark hair twisted into a bun on the back of her head, small tendrils of hair floating down around her face. "Wow, you look beautiful!" Phoenix complimented her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

Phil glared. "Well, shall we stop wasting time and leave?"

"I really hope the minister doesn't recognise me," said Maggey, "I still haven't paid the bill for repairing that tapestry I knocked over."

"I won't let him hassle you," said Franziska, "Nothing shall ruin my big day!"

The two young women were in Franziska's apartment getting ready for the wedding; all of her possessions were boxed up around them, ready for her to move in with Edgeworth after their honeymoon.

"I wonder where Maya has got to?" Franziska said in annoyance, "She ought to be here by now! Trust her to be late!"

"I'm sure she'll arrive soon," said Maggey, glancing out of the window, "Oh, here she comes now!"

"Thank goodness," said Franziska, "I cannot go into the church with one of my bridesmaids absent!"

Maggey rushed to the hallway to let Maya in.

"Hey, Maggey!" said Maya, "Oh, you look great! Don't worry, I already did my hair and makeup!"

"Good, Franziska'll go crazy if any more time gets wasted!" Maggey paused, looking left and right, then lowered her voice to a whisper. "Have you looked at Franziska's stomach lately? If I didn't know better I'd say she's expecting!"

"Really!" Maya gasped loudly.

"Shh!" Maggey hissed, "Don't let her know we're talking about her! Come on, have a look for yourself!"

They walked into Franziska's room, where she was sat at the dressing table in her long white dress.

"Franziska! Let's have a look at you, then!" said Maya. Franziska turned around and Maya glanced down at her stomach. Maggey was right; the fabric seemed to be very subtly stretched around a tiny bump. Maya looked quickly at Maggey, giving her a grin.

Franziska frowned. "Why are you looking at each other like that?"

"Nothing!" Maya said, a bit too quickly, accidentally looking at Franziska's stomach for a bit too long.

"Oh, I see you've noticed," said Franziska, "Yes, I'm pregnant. But I didn't want to tell everyone until after the wedding. Who'd have thought it? Me, pregnant before being married…"

"Hey, it's the twenty-first century!" said Maya, "Everyone's doing it before they get married now, even me! I'm sure nobody would disapprove anyway!"

"Um, Franziska…?" Maggey asked, "You have told Edgeworth, right?"

"Of course I have!" said Franziska, "Only a complete fool wouldn't tell the baby's father!"

Maya coughed awkwardly, remembering the events of the last wedding she'd attended.

"Anyway," said Franziska, "I think we ought to stop wasting time! I'm sure the car will be here any minute now!"

Edgeworth gulped and adjusted his cravat for the billionth time, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. There was no denying that he was nervous. It was strange; in the courtroom, he wasn't scared at all. But now, about to marry the love of his life, he was terrified.

"Getting cold feet, pal?" asked Gumshoe.

"Of course not!" Edgeworth snapped.

"Sorry! It's just that you look a bit nervous."

"I'm fine!"

Edgeworth glared at Gumshoe and walked over to the door to greet Phoenix, who had just arrived. "Finally, my best man is here!" he said.

"Sorry… bad traffic," Phoenix explained, a bit out of breath, "I practically ran here from the car park!"

"Well, thank goodness you made it! The guests are arriving!" The door opened and Edgeworth went to greet some more of the obscure German relatives Franziska had insisted upon inviting.

Phoenix went to go and say hi to Gumshoe.

"Hey, pal!" he said, "How are the twins? I hear you bought them a paddling pool, Danny won't shut up about it!"

"Haha, sorry!" said Phoenix, "Yeah, the three of them were all playing in it the last time Danny came round to play!"

Maggey and Gumshoe's noisy one-year-old Danny was currently crawling around the church hallway, coming dangerously close to knocking things over, but never quite hitting them.

"Daddy!" Danny called.

"What is it?" Gumshoe asked, rushing over to his son. He picked up the little boy, who opened his hand to reveal a ten dollar bill he'd found on the ground. Gumshoe laughed and put the money in his pocket. "Thanks, son!"

He carried Danny back towards Phoenix. "Say hello to uncle Feenie!"

"Don't call me that!" Phoenix protested.

"Unca Feenie!" Danny said. Phoenix ruffled the boy's fluffy hair. Unlike Maggey and Gumshoe, who were perpetually unlucky, Danny seemed to be blessed with good luck; he had a particular talent for finding valuable things on the ground.

"Anyway, between you and me, pal, I REALLY hope nothing goes wrong today," Gumshoe said, "Mr Edgeworth seems really on edge, if you know what I mean."

Phoenix shrugged. "I guess it's a nerve-wracking thing, getting married in front of all these people." He fell silent, checking they were alone. "Speaking of which… what do you think?" He slipped a small box out of his pocket and showed it to Gumshoe.

The detective grinned. "Perfect!" he said, "I never thought of you as having good taste, pal, but she's gonna love it!" He patted Phoenix hard on the back, and the two of them resumed their guest-greeting duties.

"Nervous, Franziska?" asked Maya.

"O-of course not! I am perfect! I do not get n-nervous…" said Franziska.

Maggey smiled. "It's okay to be a bit nervous, you know. It's a big deal, getting married!"

Franziska clutched her bouquet tightly between her hands and stared out of the window; she would never admit it, but this felt like the scariest thing she had ever done; trials were nothing compared to this. She had always prided herself with not showing her emotions, and now here she was about to pledge her undying love to someone in front of a huge crowd!

Inside the church, Edgeworth was waiting by the altar, experiencing similar nerves. Everywhere he looked were happy, encouraging faces gazing up at him from the pews; the feeling of all the eyes on him made him feel a little queasy.

The bridal car stopped outside, and Maya and Maggey hopped out first, both looking incredibly pretty in their pale pink dresses. Franziska saw the excited looks on their faces, and wished she could feel the same; instead she felt a knot of terror in her stomach.

"They're here!" somebody was calling from across the church; Edgeworth looked up, and saw Phoenix opening the doors of the church. Outside, a white car was gleaming in the sunshine… he seemed to have a huge lump in his throat, making it difficult to breathe…

Franziska stepped out of the car onto the tarmac, her heel making a loud clicking sound. Maggey and Maya helped her with her dress, oblivious to her terror. She looked up towards the church; Phoenix Wright had just flung open the doors. She could just make out a dark figure up by the altar. Was she making the right decision?

Edgeworth's stomach was doing somersaults as the organ started up, playing the traditional bridal music. It just set his nerves on edge even more. Could he really go through with this?

Everyone sighed and gasped as the beautiful bride began walking slowly up the aisle. Franziska glanced left and right; she saw Gumshoe's face lit up with surprise and admiration at how different and pretty she looked; nearby, little Pearl's eyes were wide with awe. She looked to her left and saw Phoenix smiling encouragingly.

Finally, she looked forwards, towards her very-soon-to-be-husband. In the second that their eyes met, all of her insecurities melted away. Miles felt a calm washing over him, and suddenly everything felt right.

The bride took the final steps up to the altar, and stood in front of the handsome groom.

"Nervous?" he murmured.

"I was," she whispered back, "But not anymore."

Edgeworth smiled and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "Me neither."

"That was so beautiful, wasn't it, Mister Nick?" said Pearl excitedly, "Ooh look, they're cutting the cake! I can't wait to get married!" She grinned at him and then ran over to get a better look at the towering wedding cake.

Edgeworth held Franziska's hand in his and together they pushed the knife through the soft, spongy cake. She smiled up at him lovingly; before today, he'd never have guessed that Franziska would fit so naturally into the role of the blushing bride.

Everyone cheered as they cut out the first slice and went back to their table to share it.

"Well, I have to say, today has been absolutely the best day of my life," said Edgeworth.

"You can't say that, fool," said Franziska, "The sun has not even set yet! Something dreadful could happen before the day is over!"

"Ah, don't jinx it!" said Edgeworth, "What I mean is… so far, everything has been great."

"I know. It's been just perfect, hasn't it?" Franziska sighed happily. She leaned her head on her husband's shoulder; he stroked her hair and tilted his head down to kiss her.

Their lips had almost met when Gumshoe came bouncing up to their table. "Congrats, you two! I've gotta say, I didn't think you'd ever actually get hitched! And this cake is amazing, pal!"

"I know," said Franziska, "I had it flown in from a world-renowned cake designer in Germany."

Maya and Maggey returned from the buffet table, each carrying a plate laden with a huge hunk of cake. Maya already had icing round her mouth.

"Awesome cake, Franziska!" she said between mouthfuls.

"She had it flown in from Germany!" said Gumshoe, "From a world-something cake something!"

"A world-renowned cake designer," said Edgeworth, "By the way, Maya, it looks like Phoenix wants your attention.

Maya turned around and saw him waving at her from across the room. She waved back. He waved more frantically and made a "come here" motion with his hand. She sighed and put down her cake. "I'd better go and see what he wants…"

"Hey, Maya," he said, looking uncharacteristically nervous all of a sudden, "Um… do you want to take a walk outside? There's a really nice river with a bridge and stuff…"

"The one you nearly threw yourself off of when you found out I was pregnant?"

"Yeah. That one," he said, going red, "So… shall we go, then?"

"Um… okay…"

Phoenix took a deep breath and started leading Maya towards the door. The box in his pocket seemed to have gotten extremely heavy.

He felt a tug on his trouser leg. "Daddy? Can I have cake?" David said.

"Oh, alright then… come on," He scooped David up and carried him to the cake table. Once he was sat happily picking at a small slice of cake, getting his fingers all sticky, Phoenix rushed back to where Maya was waiting.

"Right, let's-" This time he was stopped by someone pinching his sleeve. He looked down to see Mia with tears in his eyes. "Daddy, it hurts!" she wailed.

"Okay, let's have a look…" He crouched down and Mia showed him a slightly grazed knee. "How did this happen, sweetie?" he asked softly, pulling his little daughter onto his lap.

Mia looked around, then pointed at Larry, who was stood in the corner looking guilty.

"Of course… the Butz…" Phoenix muttered, "Right, I'll go and tell him off…"

Larry rushed up to defend himself when he spotted Phoenix marching towards him. "It was an accident, Nick, I promise you!"

"What did you do, idiot?" Phoenix asked impatiently.

"Well, you see, there's this REALLY hot German girl over there… Franzy's cousin, I think…" he pointed to a vain-looking young woman checking her reflection in a mirror, "And chicks dig guys who are good with kids, right? So I picked up Mia to show her how great I was… and we got talking, and I kinda got carried away, and then she slapped me and I… I dropped Mia."

"You dropped my daughter!" Phoenix exclaimed, "You idiot! You're enough of a danger to yourself, you shouldn't even be allowed near other people!"

"S-sorry, Nick…"

Phoenix contemplated dragging Larry outside to teach him a lesson, but then spotted Maya stood by the door. "I'll deal with you later," he told Larry, "But there's something I need to do first."

"Finally!" said Maya, "Are we going for this mystery walk then, Nick? And what were you yelling at Larry about?"

"I'll tell you later," said Phoenix, "Now, come on-"

"Mister Nick, Mister Nick!" Pearl suddenly shouted, "Look at this!" She dragged little Danny Gumshoe by the hand towards Phoenix and Maya.

"What is it now!" Phoenix groaned.

Pearl looked hurt. "He found this on the floor, you must have dropped it…"

Danny held out a small gold object in the palm of his hand.

"Oh, my badge! Um… thanks, I'd be pretty screwed if I'd lost this." Phoenix took the badge and shoved it into his pocket.

"Why did you even bring it to the wedding?" asked Maya.

"To show it to people," said Phoenix. Maya rolled her eyes. He suddenly realised that Pearl and Danny were still standing in front of him. "Is there something else?" he asked, a little impatiently.

"Well… since we found your badge, could you get us a piece of cake?" Pearl asked timidly.

"Ok, fine, sure… wait there, Maya…" Phoenix pushed his way over to the cake and took two slices, which he shoved into Pearl and Danny's waiting hands. "There! Now, Maya, let's go-"

"Phoenix, darling!" said Robyn, tapping his shoulder as he was about to leave, "Phil and I wanted to have a word with you about the twins' birthday. I know there's over a month to go, but we really need to sort out the marquee-"

"Hey, pal!" Gumshoe interrupted, "Mia's knee hurts, can you come and cheer her up?"

"I know her knee hurts! Can't I cheer her up later?" Phoenix groaned.

"That's a terrible thing to say!" said Phil, "What kind of father are you!"

"Wright!" Edgeworth called, "Could you get out some more chairs? Franziska's aunts don't have anywhere to sit!"

"Daddy, can I have more cake?" David asked.

"HOLD IT!" Phoenix shouted, "Look, could everyone please leave me alone? All I want to do is go outside and propose to Maya!"

There was a stunned silence. Maya stared at Phoenix in shock, her eyes wide.

Phoenix cleared his throat awkwardly. "Erm… sorry, I sort of ruined the surprise…" He stared back at Maya, wishing she would say something. There was a stony silence, during which Phoenix tried to figure out whether Maya was happy or horrified, until she took his hand and led him to the door.

"Come on then, Nick…" she said gently, "Let's go for our walk." He smiled at her gratefully and they walked hand in hand to the little stone bridge. Memories flashed through Phoenix's brain from over two years ago, when he'd stood on the wall, threatening to jump – who could have guessed that things would've turned out so brilliantly after that?

The couple stopped walking, and stood facing each other. Phoenix's mouth had gone dry.

"Go on, then," Maya prompted him, "I think you're supposed to get down on one knee…"

Phoenix gulped and sank down onto the floor. "Um… Maya Fey," he said, gaining confidence, "Will you marry me?" He pulled the little velvet box out of his pocket and showed her a beautiful golden ring, sparkling with small diamonds.

"Yes! Yes, Nick, I will!" Maya squealed, pulling him to his feet and throwing her arms around him. He hugged her tightly and slipped the ring onto her finger. He'd barely had time to admire how good it looked on her before she'd started kissing him enthusiastically.

"Whoop! Go Nick! Get in there!" somebody was cheering. Phoenix and Maya broke apart to see that half the wedding guests had followed them, including Larry who was making all the noise.

"Congratulations, darling! I knew you'd propose one day!" said Robyn, gazing at the happy couple adoringly.

"About time, too…" Phil muttered, but he couldn't conceal a smile.

Pearl looked too delighted to say anything; she was just jumping up and down with joy.

There were a pair of footsteps behind the watching crowd; Edgeworth had appeared to see what was going on. "Congratulations, Wright," he said.

"Thanks!" said Phoenix, unable to take his eyes off of Maya. He wished everyone would go back inside and give them some peace.

Edgeworth seemed to pick up on this. "Come on, everybody! I thought this was supposed to be MY party?" he said loudly. He gave Phoenix a quick wink before leading the stray guests back indoors.

Soon, almost everyone had left; only David and Mia remained. "Come here, my little darlings," said Maya. The twins ran forwards into their mother's arms. "Daddy and I are going to get married! Isn't that exciting? We'll be a real, proper family!"

"Yay! New dress?" said Mia happily.

"More cake!" David squealed.

Phoenix laughed and put his arms around his little family. As he gazed down at them in the warm summer sun, it felt as if they were the only four people in the world.


End file.
